


Buddytale

by Whimper_sama



Category: LISA (Video Games), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Post-Joyful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-05-05 16:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5383121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whimper_sama/pseuds/Whimper_sama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olathe is empty. Buddy refuses her crown and decides to set her sights far away... But she finds that she doesn't have to walk too far away to find what she is looking for...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Buddy didn’t look back. No matter who was in her way, there was no way she could have looked back. The vaccine was taken. She was supposed to be safe in some way. It was guaranteed that the withdrawals would stop. She hoped that, at least. 

It was easy to maneuver around Brad’s deformed body even when he was inching closer. He groaned just like he did in her visions. But she couldn’t face him. What she was feeling was unlike anything she felt before. Buddy wasn’t ready. 

So she ran as far as she could. 

The slippery sound of blood against her heels, the constant weight of her knapsack hitting her side as she ran, they were trivial now. As she listened for Brad’s noises growing more faded with each step she took, she hopped over a dip in between the rocky terrain, taking a deep breath. She could feel a hitch in her throat, the cool overcast making her eye water. She glanced back for a second and could see him slowly making his way over to the impasse. She walked now, not wishing to waste her energy. 

She walked past the gore of mutated corpses and those previous human beings- the ones she had killed and the ones that had died from causes that were above her or out of her hands. Buddy stopped at a dry spot and sat on the ground. She opened up her knapsack and searched for any extra bandages that she could apply. Buzzo’s blood was drying on the current ones and she didn’t want to get some sort of infection. There was nothing she could use, so she figured she would have to scavenge to find any cleaner bandages. 

Her mind was fixated into the distance as her one eye trailed over and caught sight of distant mountains. In Olathe, there was only blood and death. But farther away, she had no idea. This place is the only one she had ever known, the one she had spent so long to conquer. Buddy knew this wasn’t what she really wanted in the long run. This nothingness surrounding her person. Slowly she could feel suppressed thoughts creeping into her mind. 

“Maybe,” She thought to herself, “Maybe if I can get past those mountains, I can make it to someplace better.” It was worth a shot, now that no one was really left alive. Going back to Brad was not a viable option. The Joy was slowly edging itself out of her influence and all that was left seemed to be pure intuition. 

The day was only half over so it seemed like a good time to start walking again. Buddy paid no mind to the countless bodies. They were shadows of her guilt since the beginning of her deadly ascension. The people she had killed, the ones who must have wanted to control her. She wouldn’t allow them to occupy her mind. But Dustin was still there. Somewhere. His body mangled. She was almost sure she passed over the place where he fell to his death. Going back wasn’t an option anymore for her, she had to press on. Even if the memories tried to catch up to her. 

By the time she had reached the supposed end of Olathe, she could see it. A deserted plain. Grass growing a lukewarm brown. A small scattering of trees among it. All she had to do was head down the cliff-side and past the grasslands. Buddy had experience in climbing, so another mountain wasn’t strange. It wouldn’t be impossible to conquer. 

Looking over the terrain, she gradually made her way down. Every step was made carefully, even when her eye would blur from focusing too hard. The little rocks that would tumble past her feet at a wrong move would give her a bit of a start. Buddy would walk down onto a short platform and rest in between the climb. She’d stare up at the mountain and wonder what she’d see at the top. Where she would decide to go. 

After three hours of this cycle, she was sweating, tired and at the bottom of the cliff. Buddy laid down and felt the soft dirt in her palms. She crumbled the soil in her hands, the moisture accumulating underneath. The stars above her were faint but plentiful. The night was coming, and a part of her was afraid to sleep.

“There’s no one left to hurt me,” She reminded herself quietly. “No one to stab me in my sleep or worse. I’m all alone.” 

The possibility of Brad managing to find her while she slept crossed her mind. It was a very small chance, but one she did not wish to overlook. Buddy pushed her tired body off the ground and got to walking once more. Deep in her heart, there was something driving her to keep on going forward. It was more complex than putting off a confrontation with what Brad had become. It was the entirety of Olathe. 

And now it was literally all behind her. The only mark of her mistakes, of her guilt. She could set it all aflame if she wanted to but… Even doing that seemed to unsettle her in some indefinite way. 

The mountain was large and foreboding. As the grass swayed with the wind at her knees and the sun was going down so quickly, everything was becoming darker. Her eye could still see that darkening shape before her, but the idea of being trapped inside a plain of nothingness added to her worries. She picked up the pace. 

It was the familiar feeling of the mountain that brought her back all at once. The rough feeling of sedimentary rock and the ease with which she could grab on and haul herself up. It felt much better to go up than it did to go down. But she was nearly blind in this darkness, her single eye warily looking about with what faint light the horizon could give. Her hands felt over the various places she could climb, her feet squirming to find respite. 

At some point, she laid her stomach onto a little hitch on the side of the mountain and rested, not truly sleeping. Her eye closed and in the blacks of it, Buddy could see the images of the day. Her scimitar piercing haphazard flesh, the sorrowful looks of Buzzo, Brad and Dustin. She didn’t want these to be the images she saw, but they were all she had now. Opening her eye meant looking into nothing and maybe picking out little bits of the plains here and there. She was facing away from the moon’s light, so all she could see was in the stars. Buddy rubbed her cheek as it itched and accidentally tore off a piece of her soiled bandages. It wasn’t enough to uncover her empty socket, but it was still irritating. 

Sitting up, she felt the ground and towards the walls, finding that this little hitch was larger than she anticipated. She followed where the walls took her, swerving through its passages as if it were a hidden maze of crag. A faint light seemed to shine, the closer she got. Her pace became frantic as she ran closer to the light, half-fearful, half-curious. 

All at once, she was captivated by the sight of it. A circular chamber, engulfed in a pulsating barrier of light. A bright blue that hurt Buddy’s eye and made it water. She shielded herself as she looked down upon it. There was no way to be sure if it was even solid, or where it would go, if she was to venture down. 

Her heart was beating so loudly, it rang through her ears. As she circled around, she found a lone vine, curled up deeply into the side of the chamber. It seemed thick enough to support her weight, as she tested it out with a good tap of her foot. Buddy clutched onto it and then took a deep breath. Hauling the rest of herself down, she attempted to step down onto the rocky side of this mysterious, light-filled chasm. 

Every place she attempted to support herself with was unstable, impossible to give her any kind of good footing. 

“It was stupid to think this would even lead anywhere,” She thought, pulling herself up and onto the side of the inner chasm. As her hand hit the flat rock, she felt something tug her back. Swiftly looking over, she saw a bit of the old vine had gotten caught on her knapsack. Buddy didn’t dare breathe as she tried to shake it off, to no avail. She whispered a curse and kicked at the vine in hopes that it would break off. 

As she reached for the vine, her feet slipped. Her hand grabbed into the flat rock even more tightly and it pressed into her skin even more. It didn’t hurt, but now she was hanging on by only one hand. She forgot about the vine and reached up to get two hands on the flat rock. The sweat stung her sleepless face, filling in the cracks and cuts as she got her second hand onto the side. Buddy attempted to pull herself up, but the instability of the chasm’s side was lost to her in that one imperfect moment.

She slipped. She fell. She fell deep and down, through that barrier of light and screamed. Through all of her determination, she had made it. But to where, she hadn’t known. 

She lost consciousness before she hit the flowerbed. Petals flew throughout the air, dusted lightly with dew. A few bottles in her knapsack leaked out, as that one old vine still clung to it. It was ripped off now, the shine of glucose dripping onto the dirt. 

It was the first thoughtless sleep she would have in ages.


	2. Explore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buddy finds herself fallen into a place she is very unfamiliar with, meeting some odd creatures along the way.

She awoke to the burning of sunlight against her face. Her body felt sore all over and she moved, if only a slight bit. Her head ached from the fall and she was surprised that she hadn’t died. The leaves of the buttercups tickled at her skin, but even that held some sort of pain with it. 

Buddy sat up slowly and then cracked her neck on both sides. She stretched out her arms, finding that her side took the brunt of the fall. She moved her knapsack and peeked inside, finding loose liquids and shards of broken bottles. She plucked out the shards and tossed them far away from herself, checking that everything else in the bag was relatively untouched. A few pills of Joy were still present inside and she glared at them.

Picking them out, she dug up some of the soil in the flower patch and buried the pills. Her legs wobbled as she stood up too quickly for her body to catch up with her. The pain struck her side once she was standing, giving her cause to slouch. She stomped on the Joy burial and exhaled. Her eye looked around at the empty cavern before she saw what was above. There was the mix of blueness from the barrier, as well as the brightness of the sun. 

She didn’t think she’d be climbing up through there any time soon. Tightening the straps of her knapsack, Buddy began to walk. It was hard but it wasn’t impossible. She could see some sort of entrance, a walkway of sorts. And as she passed through it, she could see that it wasn’t made by any natural means. 

Another beam of light shined down. It seemed holes in this mountain were common enough. A single yellow flower sat in the middle of the room. Buddy could see another odd entrance beyond it, so she walked forward, towards the little flower and it’s surrounding wave of sunlight. 

“Whoa there! You don’t look so good, miss. I think you should slow down a little there!” 

Buddy stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn’t quite tell where the voice came from, being as disoriented as she was, but she was almost certain it was in front of her. 

“That’s right. Everything’s alright now. My name’s Flowey. Flowey the Flower.” 

She looked down at the flower and saw it grinning at her. Little black beady eyes. It was a strange sight and she couldn’t look away. It was a possibility she was dreaming, or that she was having some kind of hallucination due to Joy. But this didn’t feel like either. 

Buddy didn’t respond.

“Hmm… Not much of a talker, are ya? It’s okay. I just noticed you look a little lost here. Wanted to show yo-” 

“What are you?” She interrupted. Flowey was almost shocked that she had something to say. He was expecting some sort of silent protagonist to be in his midst. 

“Why…” He paused a little, keeping up that cheerful disposition. “I’m a flower! What else could I be?” 

“Flowers don’t talk. What are you?” Her words rang a bit more harshly, tripled in context by their vacancy. Flowey felt himself to be a patient entity, but even so, this seemed excessive. 

“I really mean it, miss… I’m a flower. A talking flower. I promise you, all I want to do is help you!” 

Buddy blinked at him slowly before stepping over the flower thoughtlessly. Flowey gaped and swiveled around before calling out to the girl. 

“Wait!! Where do you think you’re going? I said that I would help you!” 

“I don’t need help from a plant.” Buddy retorted. 

Flowey’s patience now wearing thin, he spoke very discreetly. 

“You’re not going to be able to exit. This place is larger than it appears… You’re just going to get yourself lost, to the point where even I won’t be able to save you. So… Could you turn around and listen to my advice, miss?” 

She stopped at the entrance. There was something about the way this flower spoke that felt very off-putting. It was enough to distrust people, but now that had to extend to sentient plant life as well. She sighed and took out her scimitar, turning towards the wee flower. 

“Alright. Tell me how to exit this place, or I’ll kill you.” Buddy pointed the sword at Flowey, scowling. An awkward silence filled up the air, only to be disturbed by the flower’s cackling. 

“Kill me?” He giggled, his voice warping into something deep and disdainful. “You think I’m scared of you? You’re just a pawn. In this world it’s kill or be killed… I’m not planning on dying anytime soon. I wanna see what you’ve got in ya, kid.” 

Suddenly, little white ‘friendliness pellets’ appeared, all aimed at Buddy. She held up her weapon, watching as they floated and waited to pierce her skin. 

“Don’t worry, it’ll only take a few hits to kill you.” Flowey assured, letting out a loud, annoying cackle. It echoed throughout the ruins, just as another individual entered the scene. Buddy stepped back, only to be gripped forcefully by this individual, as they let out a burst of fire magic from their palm. The flower ceased his cackling just as the fireball sent him flying off into a dark corner of the room. 

Buddy turned her sword to the individual and gawked. They blinked their eyes at the dirty, fearsome looking child. 

“... You are safe now, my child. Please, put down your sword. I mean you no harm.” Toriel took a step back, hoping she would understand. “My name is Toriel. I am the caretaker of these Ruins… I come here every day to see if anyone has fallen down… You are the first to fall down in a long time.” 

Buddy observed the peculiar, goat-like woman and lowered her scimitar carefully. There was something very familiar about them, that she could not quite comprehend. But it did not lie in their appearance. It was their voice that struck her. 

“... Are you…” She began, quietly, her throat feeling dry. She gave out a little cough before starting again, “Are you a female?” 

Toriel looked leftward, feeling perplexed by such a question. “Yes, I am. I hope you are not telling me that I resemble a man, for that is quite a rude statement to tell someone you have just met.” She meant this only as a joke, but quickly found that the child was not at all the jovial type. 

It was unbelievable. Buddy squeezed the hilt of her weapon tightly, as she stared at the ground. The revelation was upon her. She was no longer the last woman on Earth. She felt she should be smiling, rejoicing over such a grand surprise this journey had given her. But her face was tired. It produced no sort of expression. 

The goat woman stared at the child, slightly unhinged by her reserved state and odd line of questioning. 

“My child… We really should go on ahead. I wish to lead you through the Ruins. You look like you need a proper wash, a rest and some new clothes. Luckily for you, I have all of these things in my home. You are welcome to join me there, I insist upon it.” 

Buddy glanced back up to Toriel and spoke again. 

“Are there others down here?” 

Toriel paused. This didn’t seem like a random instance of inquiries. There was a definite reason behind them, and it scared her. But, nevertheless, she kept it hidden behind a light smile. 

“Of course there are others down here. You will be able to meet many individuals… I-In the Ruins. Which is why we should press forward, my child.” 

The girl took a single step forward. However, she did not put away her weapon. Instead, she continued to tightly hold onto it. Her mind was still wrapping around the idea of meeting a woman. The first woman she had ever met in her life. She seemed friendly, but the powers she held were ones Buddy could not overlook. She did not trust this woman. There was no way she could. Not until she had all her answers, all her ducks in a row. 

“Alright. I will go with you. Lead the way.” 

Toriel stared into the girl’s eye before turning around and heading off, into the next room. It filled itself with light, red leaves scattered on the floor. Twin staircases elevated themselves to the next entrance, as Toriel peered over her shoulder. 

“Do you have a name…?” She asked, not wishing to upset her guest. Buddy was lost in thought, thinking up the next thing she’d ask this goat woman. 

“Buddy. My name is Buddy.” Her voice responded blankly. “Are you the only female here?” 

“No, I am not. I… You will find that there are many females here, actually… May I ask, why this is so important to you?” 

“No.” 

Toriel stayed baffled, heading into the next room, which contained a puzzle. She did not think this was the time to be introducing strange mechanics to a troubled youth, so she solved it without explanation, opening the door. 

“Buddy, as an adult, I do think you should tell me such things. I know I may look outlandish to you… But I promise you can trust me.” 

“I don’t know what you are and I couldn’t care less. Just lead me to wherever you planned to lead me.” Her voice was giving off a bit more irritation than she would’ve preferred to convey. There had been women in this world the entire time. All this bloodshed over her- it had all been for nothing. There was no way she could be sure they were all mutated like this woman, but they were women all the same. She did not believe Toriel would lie to her. Maybe she was very good at lying and this was all a trap. But, for now, Buddy was absorbing all of this information. 

Toriel left the girl alone with her thoughts, taking her through passages and pulling pre-labeled levers. Entering another room, Toriel made a left turn, past a lone training dummy which caught Buddy’s attention. She didn’t comment on it, but registered its presence. 

They passed right into a room with a bizarre floor pattern and then through a narrow corridor. Buddy kept her eye forward until she heard an unfamiliar sound. She stopped and immediately looked down, only to find a small frog-like beast.

It croaked at her once more. Buddy stared. It stared back and began to hunker down nervously. Toriel knelt down and shooed it away, before looking up to meet Buddy’s eye. 

“That was a Froggit… You do not have to pay them much mind. They live here in plentiful numbers… They do not mean you any harm, but they can be quite a nuisance.” With that, she stood back up, stepping forward. 

Buddy saw the bridge of spikes and dared not continue onto them. Toriel smiled and began walking forward even so, showing her that they disappeared into their place, leaving the bridge safe to walk over. 

“You don’t have to worry, my child. This is all a part of the ruins.” 

The girl did not bother to say anything in response, only heading after the goat woman after she confirmed that there were no tricks involved. She passed over with ease and then entered the next passage. Toriel stopped and turned to Buddy. 

“I… I can see now, that you are quite independent. You really do not need me telling you what you should be doing. I would be more at ease, however, if you could put away your weapon.” 

“I don’t want to.” 

Toriel held her tongue and closed her eyes, letting out a little sigh. 

“Very well… Then, if you will not do this, then I must tell you that I plan on preparing my home for your arrival. I would appreciate it, if you stayed here. I will be back for you in a moment’s time.” She tried to smile at the girl, finding it difficult to stay upbeat around such an unhappy looking girl. 

“Okay. I’ll stay here.” Buddy agreed, but wasn’t honest in such a promise. She planned to immediately head forward, after Toriel had left. 

Toriel’s expression warmed up considerably as she dug around in her pockets. 

“I understand that you may get lonely… So I have taken the liberty of giving you this. I have had no use for it… But I think you will. If you need to contact me, just use this cell phone.” She proceeded to hand Buddy the clunky old piece of technology. The girl held it in her hand, palm open and stiff. She gripped onto it slowly. 

“I… Appreciate it.” She really had no idea what was in her hand, but it was large and solid enough for her to use as a throwing object. Which would come in handy given all of her bottles had broke from her fall. 

“I promise you, I will be back shortly.” Toriel emphasized, before heading down the long corridor, eventually exiting. Buddy watched her until she was utterly out of sight. She moved her sheath and put her sword back inside. A bit of pain struck through her right arm, and she breathed deeply. 

It was nothing in comparison to all the other things she had been through, but it was becoming a close second at the moment. She continued forward, gripping onto the ‘cell phone’ as she walked down the long, purple corridor. Bright torches lit up the room, as they had in every other room she seemed to pass by. So far, she had only seen Toriel and a ‘Froggit’. She wondered when she would finally see another human. Another woman. 

Despite everything, it was something she desperately wanted to confirm. Another woman, just like her. If everything she had heard up until now was wrong, all she would find would be more perverted men after her. 

Buddy exited the corridor and entered into another purple room, lined with torches. Another patch of red, fallen leaves greeted her. She walked past them, noting a lone Froggit at her left side. She ignored it for now and entered the leftmost room, finding a peculiar bowl. 

Approaching it, Buddy saw many colorful, wrapped papers within the bowl. She reached her hand inside warily and took up one, looking over it. A little sign caught her eye and read: 

“Take One”

She did not like this sign, and proceeded to stuff the entire contents into her knapsack. She left the bowl and exited, only to be confronted by the same strange Froggit from before. She stepped over it. 

Just as she did, her ‘cell phone’ began to ring. Being completely unfamiliar with the piece of technology, Buddy did the only sensible thing she could do. She threw it against the far wall and watched as it crumbled into many mechanical parts, the ringing dying down immediately. 

Buddy took a deep breath and clutched at her chest before shaking off her uneasiness. Then she walked forward, making another turn in order to enter the next room. It all seemed to work in a very direct manner. In the corner of her eye, she could see smaller creatures huddling, watching her. Normally, she would confront them, but they were not human. They would give her no benefit, if she were to slit their throats. 

As soon as she stepped onto the unstable ground, she felt through and into a room below herself. Buddy let out a shriek as her body fell into a large pile of red leaves. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest, as she stared up at the ceiling and the crumbling floor above. She laid there for a while, wondering how many times she would need to fall today.

After a few peaceful seconds, she rolled herself over and got onto her feet. The room around her was quite compact, the only real difference from the others she had seen. However, a strange tunnel rested on the wall. Two, in fact. Buddy inspected them carefully before crawling inside one. Bars were welded inside, making it useful for climbing up within the tight passage. She did so and ended up tumbling back onto the upper floor. 

Sustaining a more apparent soreness in her side, Buddy groaned and sat on the ground. She was now on the other side of the crumbling floor. She could see where she fell and the scattering of old leaves about the other floor. Rising again, she tightened the strap of her knapsack and kept going. There was no way she was going to wait for some goat woman to arrive to her aid. 

The next room seemed a bit more roomier than the last. Buddy could see some spikes not too far from where she stood, as well as a rock and an odd switch. A poster was plastered on the wall, with something written on it. She tried to read it, but ever since she lost her left eye, her vision hadn’t been too approximate. She walked over and read it up close. 

“Three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them.” 

Immediately, Buddy turned and walked away, finding this to be a useless piece of information. She attempted to pick up the rock, finding her side disagreed with this action, so she proceeded to slowly push it across with her feet. It slid onto a protruding platform, the spikes lowering into the ground. Buddy went on ahead, entering the next room. 

Despite the relative simplicity of these puzzles, it was quite a change in comparison to what she was used to. A part of her wondered why she bothered. Her empty stomach begged to differ, as well as her curiosity. She had to progress or she wouldn’t find her way out. She wouldn’t be able to figure out if she could trust Toriel. 

Buddy stopped as soon as she entered the next room, staring at the many loose tiles that lay before her. She saw a nearby vent like the two before and smeared her hand across her face. Taking a quick breath, she stood over the first row and sat down. Her legs stretched out and tested the stability of the floor. Immediately, some tiles crumbled, but her hands gripped tightly onto the actually stable portion. 

All at once, she had begun to wildly kick at the loose tiles, watching them fall into dust and phantoms of red leaves below. As the dust billowed away, accompanied by Buddy’s swatting hand, she could see a faint pattern below. Almost like the leaves made out the edges of the tiles, and the open floor made a key through which one could pass through safely.  
Getting up, she decided to take a chance and walk onto one of the estimated ‘stable’ tiles. Buddy closed her eye and stepped forward, expecting to fall once more and break something. 

It was only a few seconds later that she recognized that she hadn’t plummeted to her death. She opened her eye and looked down at her feet, moving them within her boots before walking forward. She kept it up until hitting the wall, pressing her hands onto the cool touch of it. She pressed her cheek to it as well and inched a little to her left, stopping when the tile next to her foot began to break. Buddy let out a held breath and turned so her back faced that wall. She began walking to the other wall and found this to be a lot more easy. 

Calming down considerably, she walked around and made it towards the end of the room. She didn’t think the fear of falling would have ever gotten to her. The gaps between Olathe seemed a lot more treacherous than this, yet here she was, a scared little girl. Buddy chalked it up to her being hurt, not wanting to address any of the other possible theories that floated through her mind. 

The scenery of these Ruins had gotten old by now, but their little puzzles didn’t seem to ease up on her. The next room was as purple as the last. Buddy scanned over the three rock puzzles, identical to their predecessor. She edged closer and roughly pushed the first rock into it’s place. Then the second. 

As soon as she walked over to the third rock, she stamped her foot onto it. It produced a sound, like a grunt. 

“Whoa there, pardner, there’s no need to be so ornery! Hadn’t anybody ever told you how to go about things gently?” 

It spoke at her. Buddy was almost sure this rock was speaking to her. It wouldn’t have been the first time something impossible spoke to her, but she feared it wouldn’t be the last. She didn’t quite know what to say to the rock, but she did not move her foot. She pressed her sole a little bit more onto it’s surface. 

“I need to get through.” She muttered, not really mustering up a very friendly tone. The rock scoffed at her. 

“That ain’t how you ask, pumpkin. Didn’t nobody ever teach you any manners?”

Buddy removed her foot and knelt down before the rock. She couldn’t see any face. No orifice from which words could be moulded. It perplexed her. 

“I guess not.” She retorted. “I just need you to move over there. So I can cross.” 

“And what are you supposed to say to me?” 

Buddy blinked and answered the only way she could, faced with that question.

“... Please?” 

The rock slowly moved forward, but not by much. It then began to talk to itself, a little loudly. 

“See, that ain’t too hard.” It clicked it’s hypothetical tongue. “Kids these days sure are kooky…” 

Standing up, she walked a little closer to the rock. 

“No. I need you to move onto that…” She motioned towards it, unsure if it could see, as it had no visible eyes. “That thing.” 

“The button?” 

“Okay.” Buddy would register the proper name for such things later, but for now she was getting impatient. “Can you do it?” 

“Why, sure. I can most certainly try.” With that, the rock moved right onto the slightly raised platform, causing the spikes to lower. “Will that be all today?” 

“Yes.” She hurried over to the bridge and almost walked right onto the reappearing spikes. Flinching, Buddy moved her foot back and then glanced over at the rock. It had moved itself off the button. 

Buddy re-approached it, as it idly sat. 

“Hm? Need somethin’, pumpkin?” 

“You need to stay there or I can’t cross.” She spoke, dryly. The rock let out a bemused noise. 

“Ah, alrighty then.” It moved back onto the button. “You sure are giving me a good workout…” 

Buddy said nothing, and crossed the bridge, wondering how much farther it would be until she found some kind of exit. She wondered how she had not caught up to Toriel by now. It seemed queer that the goat woman could pass through all these things so easily and have time to reset them. Then again, she was new to the Ruins. 

A hallway was all that she saw here now, and within it rested a small table. The table held a piece of cheese. Buddy passed by it. Then rested a hand onto her stomach. She went back to where the cheese was and attempted to touch it. It was stuck to the table and she immediately retracted her hand, wiping it against her poncho. She did not look back, upon entering the next room. 

It opened up the atmosphere a lot more than the previous rooms did, giving way to taller ceilings. What lay before her seemed like only a small walkway, with the consistent addition of those red leaves. But there was something else among them that sort of blurred within her singular vision. As if it were only half present, whenever she stared at it. 

Buddy decided it wasn’t worth her time to get absorbed in strange details, not in a place that felt so foreign to her. She pressed forward and was immediately taken off-guard by a very present voice. 

“Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…”

It wasn’t frightening, but she did get a start from being unable to tell who was speaking. That was when the presence seemed to appear it’s most tangible. 

Lying among the leaves was a specter. It almost resembled a floating sheet. But from Buddy’s perspective, she couldn’t really tell the two apart. She made an effort to step over them, but that only roused them from their psuedo-slumber. 

“O-Oh… I am… Really sorry… You probably want me out of your way… Don’t you?”

“Yes. I do.” Buddy was starting to grow used to impossible things talking to her. 

“Oh… Well… I would but… I’m not really feeling up to it right now… S-sorry…” 

The girl sighed and moved back to give the spirit some space. Weariness was starting to outright claim her, but she knew that this wouldn’t be the last time she’d have to deal with individuals like these. 

“Could you please move?” She figured that since it worked on the rock, it might work on whatever this was. The ghost didn’t answer for a while, tears filling up their eyes. 

“I… I’m… I’m really sorry. I mean, I want to… I… I…” They began to fade out, thick tears spurting from their eyes. It made a final whisper, “Sorry…” 

Buddy gawked at the tear-covered leaves, in the place where the ghost had been. She then walked over the patch and headed straight for the next room. Obviously something more confusing than this would swing by her way, and she did not want to wait to face it. This place was not of her element. Though she had a sword at the ready, there was no way she could possibly stab a rock, nor a flower, nor a ghost. These were all things she couldn’t solve by violence. It seemed like the atmosphere was encompassingly… Tranquil. 

Buddy entered a small room and found large spider webs scrawled along the walls. A sign before the webs indicated that this was some sort of ‘bake sale’. She did not fully understand what this meant, exiting the room and heading north from there. 

She could see three frogs sitting around the room carelessly and thought of approaching them. They didn’t seem to scurry away like the other creatures did. She stood before the first and initiated conversation. 

“Hello.”

The creature did not respond immediately, but ended up forming a slow reply. 

“My friend never listens to me…” He began, before complaining about being constantly ignored by the aforementioned friend. Buddy squinted her eye as the creature went on before realizing that she wasn’t listening at all. The noise of something else speaking just sort of flowed into her mind, lightly caressing the inside of her head. 

“Well, at least you listen to me…” The frog said. Buddy nodded and gave a small grunt in retort before walking over to the other creatures. 

The second frog cowered slightly, before mentioning a possibility of a fourth frog. 

“Are you a frog?” She asked, never seeing a frog before coming to this place. The Froggit gawked at her before contemplating this question. 

“I think I am.” He said, unsure of himself.

Buddy walked over to the last frog she saw.

“What do you have to say to me?”

This last frog stared at her with beady eyes, not seeming as nervous as the others. 

“I have heard you are quite merciful, for a human… However, that may be because nothing wishes to go near you.” 

“Why is that?”

“You seem very determined. It’s intimidating, that look in your eyes- well, eye, to be exact.”

“Then why don’t you run away too?”

“I don’t see why I should. I don’t think you will harm me. In fact, I believe it.”

Buddy knew this was quite true. She didn’t have a reason to hurt these creatures. She was in no state to aggress anything, and she desired an exit more than she did blood. 

“Go on believing it.” She started to walk away before stopping. 

“Goodbye.” The Froggit said to her. This made her stop. She didn’t turn around, but she found something strange in such unassuming words. Something fragile, the simple phrase. 

“Goodbye.” She said in return, before advancing into the adjacent room.

Again, the vents greeted her at the walls, as well as the loose floor tiles. This time they were spread out a little more, possibly leading to different places. She had some sort of hunch after dealing with all of this trivial pursuits. Buddy advanced to one of the tiles, kicking it open and peering inside the hole it left. From the angle she was at, all she could see were those pesky red leaves. She headed over to the tile on the opposite side, kicking it open and kneeling close. Her head neared the hole, that eye of hers darting around as the dust dissipated. 

There, within the corner of that particular room, she could see a vent as well as a red object. It piqued her curiosity, so she made a risky jump through the hole, managing to land safely inside. The drop was a lot more intimidating in theory than it had been in practice. 

Buddy picked up the object and found it to be a red ribbon. She pursed her lips a little and decided that this was quite a lucky find, tying it over the bandages on her eye. She made sure to tie it tightly, securing her empty socket. After that was finished, she climbed into the cramped vent and began crawling her way back to the beginning of the room. 

Poking her head out of the vent, she warily inched herself out of it, putting pressure on her side once again. She tried to keep her composure, not wanting to get stopped by such a simple pain. But especially after all that, her arms were getting a bit sore. She stepped back onto the floor and cracked open another tile. 

Through the same methods, Buddy looked inside and saw the same layout, excluding a very obvious lever. She dived down, pulling it as soon as she was able. A very loud noise made it apparent to her that her exit was now assured. She headed back through the vent and hopped out, nearly tripping on her own two feet. 

Buddy stepped right into the next room, groaning that it wasn’t the end to her little journey. Again, the rooms seemed to be getting larger the farther she went, but she could still see that there were puzzles before her. She walked through the open room and saw three protruding objects from the ground of different colors. Suspecting that they had some role to play in her future, she inspected one of them. Placing her hand onto one, she found them to be quite sensitive as it quickly sank into the ground. 

Buddy waited for something to happen. But, nothing did. 

She walked on over to the next one, doing the same, and then the next. Still, nothing happened. This in and of itself was quite puzzling to her, as every puzzle from before seemed to have some kind of mechanic. Entering the next room, she saw it held the same layout as the last, but at a different angle. She spotted the next button and pushed it, becoming startled as she heard a large click. 

Buddy walked on over and saw another patch of spikes that had been lowered. To her right, she also saw a sign that was large enough for her to read from a distance. It directed her to pressing the blue button, something she had already done. It seemed rather unnecessary to have a sign tell her this after she had pressed the button, but she figured it didn’t actually matter. 

She continued on and found another identical room, with a sign telling her to press the red button. She didn’t even consider this to be a puzzle now, as she pressed the red button on the other side of the room and progressed forward. 

“I hate this.” Buddy said aloud, faced with a fourth room. She looked for a sign that would give away the answer. Luckily, one was plastered right across from her. She walked towards it and read it’s redundant instruction, pressing the green button to her left. 

Finally exiting this series of repetitive rooms, she found herself faced with a large hall. Brambles growing before her, she walked past them and glanced over the two arching pathways. She decided to head towards the one closest to her, as the red leaves seemed to indicate some sort of progress. 

Buddy stepped through that path, along the long purple corridor. Her hands running over the marble walls and her eye focused solely on what was ahead of her. Admittedly, she was very tired, but she could not imagine resting without someone to watch over her. Someone she could trust, anyway. 

Her palms felt the cold, now familiar roughness of brick work as she entered the next room. A large tree stood before her, thickly dead with blackened wood. The branches of it twisted into soft curves, as the leaves below rested peacefully. She stared at it before her attention caught onto something moving beyond the tree. 

Toriel anxiously called on her phone, holding it with both hands as it rang to no avail. She was quickly making her way around the tree before stopping and approaching Buddy. Her eyes had been wide with uneasiness and now with relief they closed. 

“My child, you frightened me so much… You had not answered any of my calls… I thought something awful had happened to you. I am happy that I was wrong.” Toriel put away her phone and held out her hand. 

Buddy did not take it, looking past the monster woman to see a small house. The motif of red leaves never failed to appear in her line of sight. She met the woman’s eyes and spoke. 

“Go on. I’ll follow you inside.” 

Toriel seemed slightly taken aback by this, but smiled nonetheless. She retracted her hand and turned around, walking towards her home. The sound of footsteps behind her filled her with a tinge more enthusiasm, as she opened up her door. 

Buddy gawked at the door before passing quietly into the small house. She looked out into the ruins and closed it behind herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY8IS0ssnXQ 
> 
> Sadly I couldn't do this for the last chapter, but I've sorta compiled a playlist for each of the chapters after the Prologue. This is Chapter 2's song. I feel like it encompasses the feelings that Buddy is feeling. And it's a good start on the overall theme of the story. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, get ready for next week.


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buddy spends some time in Toriel's house and learns what pie is.

“Do you smell that? It is something I prepared for you especially… I thought it may have been necessary, since you seem malnourished.” 

There was a distinct smell that seemed to waft about within the house, one that Buddy could not place. It was like nothing she’d ever known before, but it did smell good. Her hunger was rising from the depths of her stomach and seizing her all at once. It was becoming a bit hard to keep it together. 

“You… Made me food.” It seemed like a kind, non-lethal gesture. One that she could appreciate. Buddy was still adjusting to the strange interior of her host’s abode, the scent and hospitality now overloading her senses and suspicions. 

“Yes, I did… You can walk around my home, if you wish. I have to attend to the pie, as I do not want it to burn. I promise I will not take but a moment this time.” 

Toriel gave out her friendliest of looks before heading down her left hall and towards her kitchen. She hadn’t cooked her signature butterscotch-cinnamon pie in what felt like ages. Her hands dug into the fabric of an underused oven mitt as she gripped onto the oven’s handle to check on the pie. The crust of it was almost to her desired texture. 

Meanwhile, Buddy moved throughout the house. The floorboards were slick and wooden, something she had seen very little of when it came to home design. The walls were clean and strange, her eye not leaving any new sights that came in front of her. She avoided the staircase as her body drifted towards the right corridor. Her eye picked up on many things that she knew little about. Her old leather shoes rubbed against the comforting fuzz of carpet fabric before she knelt down to smooth her hand over it. She sat down and felt the soft texture run over her calloused palms, the edges of the carpet lined in thick stitching. She focused her attention on the tiny threads until hazy patterns could be seen.

She stopped and picked up on other unfamiliar sights, standing upright to approach an odd-looking plant. Its seed pods dangled, untouched as it waded within the slender vase. Buddy gripped onto the seed pod and felt it’s coarseness. She accidentally tore off the seed pod, watching it crumble in her hand before tossing it into the vase. 

She proceeded to walk away and pretend that it didn’t happen. 

Two rooms were in her vicinity, however she paid them no mind until she found the hallway’s end. Her eye flickered over to a mirror. 

It was the first time she had ever clearly seen herself. 

She stared at her reflection and opened her mouth, just to make sure it was really herself she was seeing. She waggled her tongue a bit and squinted her eye. Compared to this place, she was radically different. Spots of dirt, stray hairs, filthy bandages and crusted stains of blood made up her exterior. Her lips were slightly cracked as she licked over the bit of blood that made up an old wound. 

Buddy approached the reflection and stared into her eye. It surprised her to see that this is what everyone else had seen, when they looked at her. Her pupil was dilated, unchanging as she continually scrunched up her face. As she stepped away, she was startled to see Toriel watching her. 

Neither of them spoke, until Toriel cleared her throat loudly, gesturing behind her. 

“The pie is ready for you, whenever you are hungry. I am glad you are enjoying your time spent in my home…” Before she could turn around, Buddy rose her voice to make an inquiry. 

“Why did you make me food?” 

Toriel paused and smiled, gesturing once again for the girl to follow her over. 

“That seems like a very silly question. You are my guest, my child. You are hungry, and I wanted to make you something to eat… It is as simple as that.” 

Buddy couldn’t say anything more. There were a lot more questions floating around her mind than she preferred, but her hunger came before all else. She followed the goat woman down the hall and into the dining room. A fire place was quietly crackling next to a large chair and bookcase. 

Upon the table, she could see a plate of… Something. She didn’t recognize whatever it was. She figured it must have been the pie Toriel was talking about. Sitting at the table, she scooted her seat a bit closer, examining the triangular food. She picked it up with her hands and watched as her fingers broke through the thick crust and plunged into hot butterscotch filling. 

Buddy yelped and flung the piece of pie onto the plate, leaving it to splat tragically onto the tablecloth and her poncho. 

Toriel’s expression was a mixture of genuine concern and horror. She went around and picked up the fork beside Buddy’s plate, making it obvious that this was of use to her. Buddy took it in her hand and gently scraped it against the mess that was her pie. She managed to cut out a piece, shoving it into her mouth. 

To her surprise, it was not nearly as hot as her fingers made it out to be. Or maybe she ignored it enough, to ingest the decadent flavors of butterscotch, cinnamon and flaky sweetness. Either way, this had been the single greatest thing Buddy had ever eaten. She chewed with her mouth open and licked the pie’s residue from her fork before shoving another chunk into her mouth. 

The monster woman found this to be as endearing as it was troubling. She had no concept of how the surface was, but judging by this child’s appetite and lack of table manners, it did not seem to be good. Still, she couldn’t help but smile seeing her engulf the pie she worked so hard to bake. It brought back fond memories. 

Buddy licked the plate clean, feeling more full than she’d ever felt before. Her fingers were wiped against her poncho as she left her seat. She readjusted her knapsack and met Toriel’s gaze. 

“Thank you.” She said, her voice low. Her eyes felt heavier now that she had a full stomach, the properties of the pie making her considerably more drowsy. Toriel could see this clearly enough that she couldn’t resist making an offer. 

“You are very welcome, my child… If you want, there is a vacant room you can sleep in. A nice, warm bed ready just for you.” 

The girl did not contemplate this offer before blurting out her impulsive response. 

“No.” 

Toriel sighed, not hiding her disappointment, but stubbornly holding onto her hopes anyway. 

“In that case, you are still free to walk around as you please… I will be sitting over here, if you need me. I would be delighted to answer anymore questions you have for me.” She picked up Buddy’s empty plate and fork, carrying them off into the kitchen to be left in the sink. 

Buddy followed Toriel into the kitchen, seeing as how she had only caught a glimpse of it while scarfing down her dessert. Her hands kept to her sides as she watched the woman hold the dishes over the sink, spraying them with fresh, clean water. It was something Olathe didn’t have and something she couldn’t readily conceive. 

Another peculiar thing that seemed to catch her eye was the fridge. She had seen one before, albeit broken and useless. Instinctively, she gripped onto the handle and opened it up. The thought that this might be invading some sort of personal boundary did not cross her mind, which was still fixed into a scavenging mode of operation. Inside, there were many assorted items for consumption, all seeming equally wondrous to a girl who ate mainly jerky and tea. But what sustained her attention most seemed to be a lone chocolate bar.

Toriel had already cleaned, rinsed and dried the dishes in hand, now setting them away. Her eyes fluttered over to see the young girl pawing at the unopened chocolate bar. 

Truthfully, she was saving that for some other baking specific activity. However, seeing the way Buddy held the bar, she decided to allow a bit of leniency. As she walked past the girl, she spoke aloud. 

“You may have that. It’s okay to take it.” She almost rested her hand on the child’s head, hesitating only because the hilt of her sword would have gotten in the way. Toriel stared at the perturbing weapon, even as it stay unused in her very home. She quickly made her way out of the kitchen, hoping to find solace in fireside reading. 

Buddy glanced back, only to see the goat woman gone. She closed the fridge slowly and rested against the adjacent wall. Her eye carefully scanned the words on the wrapper as she whispered them. 

“Her-shey.” She mumbled, licking her lips at the memory. One of her uncles, Cheeks, had given her a candy bar once. It had not been the same brand, nor had it been fresh in the slightest. But when Buddy ate it, she recalled feeling something strange. At first, she had mistaken it for sickness over expired globules of melting chocolate. Now she figured that it had to have been more complex than that. 

She ripped it open, allowing a few specks of milk chocolate to fall to the kitchen tile. It didn’t bother her, though, as she touched the cool surface of smooth chocolate. Fresh chocolate. A bit of it melted against her warm fingertips, so she licked it clean. It did not taste good mixed with her dirty hands, so she refrained from doing that again. Her fingers warily peeled the thin plastic from the candy bar’s edges, until it was utterly exposed. 

Buddy figured that with a name like ‘Hershey’ it was a candy bar made exclusively for women. She did not dwell on the thought further, as her teeth sank into the bar, breaking it off unevenly. Despite being filled with pie, the desire to devour any and every luxury that came her way greatly increased. Part of the bar was sticking out of her mouth as she chewed it, attempting to swallow it all at once. She could feel it dripping down her chin, but she did not care. 

Eventually, her hands had to serve as napkins, wiping the excess chocolate that her mouth could not reach. She wiped her face against Brad’s poncho, making sure not to rub it against her bandages. 

Buddy haphazardly folded the plastic wrap around the remaining chocolate and set it back into the cool fridge. Her fingers lingered on to touch the cold surface before Toriel called for her. 

“Buddy? Could you please come in here?” 

Instantly, she had closed the fridge, making her way into that dining room and den. She faced the goat woman from afar. 

“Yes?” She asked, quietly. 

Toriel was now wearing her reading glasses, holding a quaint book about snails. Her eyes met Buddy’s as she beamed. 

“I just wanted to see that you were okay… Do you like spending time in the kitchen?” 

The girl gave her a bit of a quizzical expression before dishing out a short answer. 

“I liked your candy bar. And your fridge.”

The woman couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, flipping a page in her book. 

“I am glad you did. Maybe one day, I could show you how to cook. Would you like that?” 

Buddy looked over the kindly monster woman. It seemed like a good, genuine offer to her. It was a completely different experience, than she could have ever imagined… 

“I’m sorry. I can’t. I need to keep going. I have to get out and… I plan to travel far beyond this old mountain.”

It almost hurt her, to say these words. She knew there was something bittersweet about them, and yet they came to her lips so easily. The prospect of staying here seemed nice, but if this was only around the corner of Olathe, she could only dream of what lay further on. 

Toriel’s sweet expression deteriorated quickly into one of anxiousness. She swallowed a few words before making a statement. 

“You… You are really fixed on leaving so badly? I thought you liked it here. But, maybe I am not as good of a host as I thought I was…” 

“It’s not that. I just… I can’t just stay here… I was hoping you’d tell me where the exit is in this place.” 

The monster woman’s fingers pressed onto the hardcover of the book, relaxing after a tense squeeze. She did not meet the child’s gaze. 

“It is a bit difficult to explain… But, you cannot exactly… Leave.” 

“What are you saying?” Buddy’s voice rose slightly. She hadn’t meant for it, but this proved to only shake the woman more. 

“I am saying, my child… That… You cannot leave these Ruins. It just is not possible.” 

All light had drained from Buddy’s face upon hearing this. It was something she could not take for truth. It hit her deeply, in ways only she could fathom. 

“But… No… No-No, you can’t be serious. There’s got to be an exit. Are you telling me we’re just… Stuck down here?” 

Toriel did not respond verbally. She had left her book hanging open and the pages had begun to flip past lazily. She got up from her large chair and did not face the young girl. 

“Yes, you are correct. We are stuck down here… It is… It is just how things are… It is how things will always be…” Toriel placed her book on snail facts back into it’s place on the bookshelf. It fit snugly with all the others, organized by their author’s name alphabetically. It hadn’t been taken out in a while. “I need to go do something downstairs… Could you wait for me?” 

Buddy paused, her head feeling slightly pained. It was small enough that she could ignore it and give out a dishonest answer. 

“Okay. I’ll wait for you.” 

“Do you promise me that you will really wait this time?”

 

“I promise.” She said. 

Toriel sighed and headed towards the stairs that Buddy had overlooked, making her way down them. Buddy waited until she was out of sight before following her. She held no ties to this person, and felt nothing in breaking any meaningless promises. The migraine persisted as she held onto the railing, making her way down the steps. She tried to make as little noise as possible.

Standing there was Toriel, at the end of the staircase, staring down at Buddy as she made it into the basement hall. She flinched slightly at the sight of the goat woman, as if her body was readying itself to run away. But despite this feeling, her feet stayed glued to the ground. 

“I told you to stay up there.” She said, her eyes looking heavy and hard. Her voice wasn’t threatening, but she obviously wished to be taken seriously. 

“I know.” Was all she could muster. 

Buddy didn’t have a valid reason for being down here, she couldn’t think up one. It was hard to think at all, when your head was pounding every now and again for no reason. Still, she figured she had to say something in response. She couldn’t ignore the goat woman’s words. 

Toriel offered her hand, her expression tiresome. 

“Come now. I will take you back upstairs… I really do have something important to do down here… Once I’m done…” She gave out a small smile, “I promise to tell you all sorts of stories. To show you how to cook, and you can eat to your heart’s content.” 

“No.” Buddy did not step back. She didn’t even glance at Toriel’s hand. 

Dejectedly, that same hand fell back down to the woman’s side. Her words lost their cheer, swirled with the monotony of nostalgic melancholy. This wasn’t the first time she had felt this, seen this very scene. It was like a role in a play- she knew very well how to play her part whether she liked it or not. 

“Please, Buddy… I need you to go upstairs… You will not like what is down this hall.” 

“You don’t know that. You don’t know me.” 

Toriel’s eyes became blurred with the remnants of tears that could not escape the first six times. They flooded her vision, as she looked onto this poor, filthy child. She did not want this process to continue. 

“ … In that case, let us walk… Do you mind if I tell you some things?” 

“No.” Her words were sharp, just as sharp as the pain she was feeling. It was getting to her, but she needed to hear the words of this woman before she made any sort of action. She was pushing herself into making the most rational decision, and it killed a part of her. 

“Alright.” Toriel turned around, quite hesitantly, and began to walk. “Please, follow me.” 

She started to walk and Buddy followed her. 

“Many children have fallen down here in the past… And with each child, this eventually happens… Sometimes it happens like you. A lot faster than I can anticipate…. But I was not lying to you. There is no exit of this mountain here… There is only an exit through these Ruins, further into the Underground.” As if on some sort of cue, Toriel turned to face Buddy as soon as they arrived at the door. “I plan to destroy it.” 

“You can’t do that.” Buddy spoke out, her fists balled up, nails digging into her palms. 

“I must… Do you know what will happen if you go through this door? Asgore…. He… He will kill you…. He will take your soul and free all the monsters from this place…” 

“I don’t understand what you’re telling me. But I don’t want to stay here. You can’t keep me here.” Her head was killing her now, her vision fading in and out. 

“There is a barrier around this mountain… You humans put it up long ago to keep us out of your lands… Though… I do not think you all even remember what you did…” 

Buddy gripped onto her head, as it pounded inside her skull. Flashes of red pierced her senses with low hums that ached her ears. She bent over as tears flooded her eyes. 

Toriel’s eyes widened at the sight and she drew closer, wanting desperately to aid the child. 

“Buddy, are you alright?” She asked quickly, her hand reaching over to the child. 

The girl, in return, slapped the woman’s hand away and hollered at her. 

“Don’t touch me! Don’t!” 

“You do not seem like you are feeling well, please, let us go upstairs. You need to res-” 

“Don’t tell me what to do!! Y-You’re keeping me down here because-not because you care about me!” Her tears and low breathing gave her words a slight stutter. “You… You’re just using me… Because you’re guilty…” 

Toriel stood still, watching the child. Small tears fell down her fuzzy cheeks, as this girl sobbed in front of her. 

“Buddy, I… No, I really do care about you… I just want to protect you.” 

Buddy drew her sword out of its scabbard and staggered closer as her vision grew twisted. Toriel held her hands up. 

“Put your sword away, Buddy, please. I do not want to hurt you. I am only trying to save you from a terrible fate- please understand!” Toriel didn’t know what else to say. She knew she had very little options, and most led to fighting the child. But a part of her felt she couldn’t. It hurt to fight when there was obviously something so wrong with how this child reacted. 

“Protect me… Save me… I… I can protect myself…. I did that already… I… I don’t need you, I don’t need anyone…”

“Buddy, please, put that away… Do you really want to hurt me?” 

“Shut up!” She screeched. “You’re all the same! You’re all the same!” 

Buddy’s vision flashed between images of Brad and images of Toriel. The redness surrounding her motioned in such a way that she could not truly tell if it was there or not. The hums grew louder in her ears. Words of the past, from people who died at her hand. She didn’t even feel her body when it happened. 

Toriel could. She felt it all in that one moment. The sword went right through her as she came crashing down onto the floor. The flames that fluttered in her palms died quickly. Her throat convulsed as she tried to take in a deep breath. The girl on top of her plunged the sword through her a second time and wailed. 

She cried out, stabbing into the goat woman with consistent force. Her tears dripped down onto the Toriel’s dress as her face contorted. Toriel seemed… Unaware. As if something was preventing her from feeling at all. Her face was vacant as she saw things differently. Buddy sobbed, the sights still flickering around her. Taunting her, until her hands trembled so much that she could no longer hold the scimitar. 

Toriel said nothing. Her head didn’t even move, as Buddy cried and held her face in her dirty hands. She was still alive, but she was going to turn to dust soon enough. She could feel the pain leaving her, the paralysis taking her away. Her eyes blinked slowly, like a lethargic animal. Her head tilted slightly into Buddy’s direction and she smiled before dissipating. 

Buddy fell to the floor in a pile of dust. She smacked her head against the floor and laid in it. Hot tears still fell from her eyes as she did not quite know where she was. She coughed and then coughed even more excessively when some particles found themselves in her windpipe. She slowly rose up, half her side covered in Toriel’s remains. 

Her fingers dug into the dust before she wiped her cheek. Her sword was somewhere in the mound, but she hadn’t the sense to find it. All she could do was sob, whispering her father’s name in choked cries- sometimes her brother’s name instead. 

Buddy sat there for what seemed like an hour. The world would be red when she opened her eye. But after a while, it stopped. She could see the familiar purple of the landscape and feel that it had all never happened. Her head swiveled about slowly and curiously, as she saw she was alone. Her puffy eyes still leaked tears. She stared down at the dust and touched it. 

The dust stuck to her hand. She searched through it, almost cutting herself on her blade. She hiccuped a bit, hands tremulous as they held the weapon. Slowly, she set it back into it’s place, back into the scabbard from whence it came. Her mind was still slow to realize the events that occurred in her frenzy. 

She stood up on wobbly legs and pressed forward. She was grey from head to toe on most of her body, but she did not notice. With all her might, she continued on, pushing open the Ruins door and entering a dark cave. It was shadowed for the most part, with only a single beam of light shining in the distance. 

A flash came before her, the thought that she had killed Toriel. She saw it, she did it, but she could not believe it. There was no blood, only dust. It was as if no one had died at all. 

Buddy continued to walk, plagued by these confusing thoughts. The beam of light she saw became less hazy, the closer she came to it. Eventually, she stood right before it, seeing the same flower from before. 

He smiled at her, just as he had before, and spoke in that sweet way he did. 

“Not a very surprising sequence of events, don’tcha think? Of course you’d end up killing her… You’re just the type.” 

She stared and the tears came rushing back to her eyes, seeping from her bandages. She didn’t want to believe it, but she had to. 

“Aw, come on now, why the tears? You don’t actually feel bad about it, do you? You’ve killed so many others, haven’t you? Why is this any different? Huh?” 

Buddy couldn’t answer, she couldn’t feel the words filling her throat. All she could do was cry. She didn’t want this, she hadn’t meant to kill anyone now. 

“Do you honestly feel bad about your actions? That’s… really sad. I wonder how many others you’ll end up killing. I wonder if you’ll feel any different killing them. It’s not like you have a hard time hurting the people around you. You selfish brat. Like I said… It’s kill or be killed.” 

“Fuck you!” She screamed. It was almost like a pathetic roar from a pitiful creature. She dove down and tried to dig up the flower, but he was gone before she could even make a mark on him. All the while, she could hear his laugh echoing off the cave’s walls. Buddy clawed at the dirt and sobbed once more. Her fingers were caked in mud and dust. Her hands smashed against it, arms shaking as the salty tears dripped off her chin. Her body felt cold and weak, even as she writhed there in the warm sunlight. 

Buddy curled up and tangled her arms together as she laid on the ground. Her vision was blurry, pink and wet. A slow, strenuous pain clung to the inside of her throat causing her to cough out her cries. 

She sniffled against the ground until the light of the distant sun put her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRRO2BXn7ns
> 
> The next song in the series, as well as the next chapter. I hope you guys like this as much as I like making it. I'll be seeing you all Thursday, so be sure to keep an eye out for the latest update!


	4. Welcome to the Underground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The atmosphere of the story is flung wildly across a great distance and in the opposite direction it once was. It threatens to come back, twice as powerful.

It was the same blistering sun that caused her to wake up. She could feel the difference in her clammy, dampened fingers dug into the mud. She pulled her hands out and wiped them against her poncho. She sat there and touched her burning cheek, blinking her eye. They felt tender and she was almost sure they’d stay that way for a while. 

Buddy looked around, finding things to be clearer than they were when she went to sleep. She didn’t know what the time was- you can’t have concepts like time in Olathe. All she knew was that she had killed someone that she really didn’t want to kill. It hurt like nothing else. It wasn’t like the first time Brad made her kill. There was something poignant about it that she couldn’t explain in words. But she felt it. 

Slowly, she got herself up and dusted off the poncho. A very visible mist of dust appeared, fluttering down to the ground as it was reflected by the sun. She began to walk. She didn’t want to go back to the house, it felt impossible. 

Another door wasn’t too far from where she slept, and she figured this was the exit that Toriel didn’t want her to find. She pressed her hand against the handle and pushed it open. She held her entire weight against the door until it moved gradually. 

Almost immediately, a gust of icy wind brisked right through her. She peered through as the snow gushed into the door’s opening. Buddy could see tall, thick trees and the soft snowfall that added to the already thick foot of the stuff before her. She stepped forward as her foot sank into the powdery floor. She took another step and felt the cold seep right into her boots. 

Buddy swung her knapsack around and opened it up. She had nothing that could help her, nothing that could possibly warm her. She had some decent rations, but when it came to warmth, all she had was her poncho. A part of her was grateful for the layers she wore, even if it wasn’t much. 

She took a couple more steps forward, finding that the cold wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Her arms wrapped themselves up into her poncho as she went on ahead, wondering what she would find. 

Toriel’s explanation of a barrier crept into her mind. It was hazy, when she thought about it, but she truly wondered what she meant. What could have the power to keep people trapped in a mountain? 

A large tree branch sat in her path, leaving Buddy to stop and carefully step over it. She didn’t know how far she would have had to travel, but she didn’t necessarily enjoy the thought of endlessly trudging through snow. Her shoes were poorly cobbled and loose around the top. It seemed to work for quick travel through the rugged, Olathian terrain, but not this. Snow clumped inside her shoes and made her ankles feel numb. 

In the distance, she could see something. It looked a little like a bridge with a strange formation around it. It was a semblance of society that she was familiar with and it gave her the hope that at least she wasn’t alone. 

A large crack echoed throughout the woodlands. 

Buddy whipped her head back and looked for something menacing to approach her. But nothing of the sort was there. Her eye trailed down only to find that the branch was broken up into many pieces. Her hopes sank. 

She wondered if there were any joy mutants down here. And if she would be able to live through a fight with one, in her condition. She shuffled away a little, turning her head only to be faced by something. It stood close enough in front of her that she hiccuped a breath and had to jolt back a few steps. 

It was hard for her to really comprehend what she was seeing. It wasn’t inanimate. It wore a big blue jacket that puffed out a little. She would have been sure it was a person, but then she saw it’s face. 

A human skull. Somewhat. It seemed like an entire skeleton was wearing clothes and facing her- glaring her down. But something about this situation didn’t ease into her mind so sweetly. It was hard to believe skeletons could suddenly appear. Let alone, that one could fixate it’s attention onto her. 

Buddy gawked at it and slowly began to move to the left, attempting to go around it. It followed her with it’s eyes, which seemed burrowed deep inside the skull, shining like little lights. She froze at the sight. 

It didn’t speak to her, and she was too fearful to speak in return. Her eye flickered over to the nearby bridge, then back to the clothed skeleton. It, in turn, turned it’s skull towards the bridge before looking back to her. 

“I don’t think you’d make it very far.” It spoke. The voice was low and overtly masculine. This was something she was quite used to, but not in this form. It obviously wasn’t a trick, a costume or anything of the sort. It was real. 

She exhaled, her breath shone in the cold air. 

“Uh.” She started, not knowing what to answer back. All she could muster was an awkward, blunt starter. But nothing to respond with. It didn’t seem to mind. 

“You look a little dusty there, kiddo.” 

Buddy glanced down at her clothes, noting that they were indeed covered in Toriel’s dust, as well as the dirt from her prior anguish. She couldn’t see her face, but she figured it was probably grey and twice as filthy as before. She held it together and tried to think of what to say- the words she really wanted to say, but couldn’t come to her. 

“Huh. I didn’t think I’d scare you that early on. I’m not even trying.” He began to walk about, closing his eyes- the strangest sight she’d seen yet- and then stopped a decent distance ahead. “You see, I made a promise to someone. So I’m not going to hurt you. Not now, at least. But looking at you…” 

He turned around, eyes gliding over the young girl. Mixed readings running through his mind. 

“I don’t really know what to call you. So, I’ll give you a chance. One chance to tell me what you are.” 

She didn’t know what he meant. It almost made her want to cry, how lost and alone she felt now. This was feeling so much more confusing than it ever did in Olathe. It was as if down here, all the hesitation and weakness she had ever felt was starting to boil over. As if she was coming undone. She didn’t like this exposure. 

“C’mon, kid. You stuck in la-la land? I kinda asked you a question here. Skeletons get chilly too, y’know.” He settled his hands into his jacket pockets and continued to stare in waiting. 

Buddy didn’t know the answer. She didn’t know what she was. She could say what her name was, but it didn’t seem like that’s what he was asking. He was testing her, and she needed to pass. She had never taken a test in her life, but already she was sure she hadn’t paid enough attention to get the right answer. 

A thought fluttered through her mind for a second, and as if on impulse, she took the sword from off her back. She held it in her hands, feeling along the scabbard and the little strap that dangled along by shitty leather. There was a word she wanted to remember and it was on her tongue. It was something Dustin had said to her once. 

She let go of her sword and allowed it to flop onto the wet snow. She looked back up to the skeleton and spoke to him, finally. 

“I’m a pacifist.” Her eyes were watering a little. 

“Okay, cool. It only took you about five minutes and a dramatic pause to tell me.” He began to laugh to himself, a very prominent laugh that felt a little infectious. Buddy felt quite wary of this skeleton, but overall, he seemed relatively harmless. 

He picked up the sword and held it under his arm, gesturing her to follow him. 

“Nice to meet you, Miss Pacifist, I’m a skeleton. Sans the Skeleton. I guess I’ll be your guide.” 

Buddy followed him, feeling lost enough that she couldn’t help but go along with what he said. She swallowed her spit, feeling thirsty enough that eating the snow didn’t seem like such a crazy idea. 

“That’s not my name, you know.” She mumbled as they approached the small bridge. 

“Huh? You don’t say? Coulda fooled me, buddy. What is it?” 

“Buddy.” 

“Sorry. What is it, missy?” 

“No. I meant, that’s my name.” 

“Your name is Buddy?” 

“Yes.” 

Sans lead her across the poorly barred up bridge, towards where his sentry stand lay. He had been kicking back until she had come along. 

“Heh, pretty coincidental. Maybe I’m just too good at guessing. Anyway, my brother’s probably going to show up soon, so-” 

“SANS!” 

A very loud voice hollered from nearby. It was almost shrill and completely nonsensical in tone. Buddy paused, only to see a very tall skeleton march his way towards herself and Sans. She hid behind Sans, not intending to get so close. He seemed to grin at her, before addressing the tall skeleton. 

“Hey Papyrus, you’re a little early.” 

“WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, SANS?” 

“Nothing important. What’d you come over here to yell at me about?” 

Papyrus crossed his arms, scowling at his brother. 

“WELL.” He paused to look over at the little dusty human, distracted for a second, and then returned to talking. “YOU STILL HAVEN’T RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES.” 

Sans gave a little shrug. 

“Sorry ‘bout that, bro. I’ll get to it eventually.” 

“SANS, IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS.” 

“That doesn’t seem too long.” 

“THAT’S MORE THAN A WEEK, SANS.” 

“It is? I figured it might be. I promise I’ll get to it though. But, there’s something important we gotta do first, bro.” 

Papyrus squinted his sockets. 

“WHAT IS IT?” 

Sans pushed Buddy forward, making a very lazy gesture towards her. Buddy looked from one brother to the other, bemused by what their motives were. They didn’t seem malicious, but it was hard to rely just about anyone she usually came across. 

“We gotta bring my pal here to Snowdin. But, since I gotta recalibrate those puzzles… Seems like you’re gonna be the one chaufferin’ her around. Seems like something only a royal guard could do.” 

“SANS, THAT IS NOT USUALLY WHAT ROYAL GUARDS DO. AT ALL. BUT IT IS A VERY NOBLE DEED, SO I’LL DO IT ANYWAY. BECAUSE YOU’RE MY BROTHER.” 

Sans nodded a bit to his brother and spoke solely to Buddy. 

“Papyrus knows where he’s headin’. I’ve got some important business to attend to. He’ll totally keep you safe. Not that you need it.” 

Buddy awkwardly glanced back to Papyrus, who was standing off to the side. His cape was fluttering in the breeze as he waited. 

“... Thank you… I’m… I appreciate this.” She almost felt like she should be apologizing but she couldn’t think up a concrete reason why. Before she knew it, Sans was waltzing off into the opposite direction. 

“WAIT A MINUTE… SANS, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SWORD?” Papyrus called out. 

“You’ve got some sharp eyes there, bro.” 

“SANS, YOU STOP THAT!”

“Bye, Papyrus.” 

Papyrus grumbled and breathed out in frustration, somehow. He faced Buddy and offered his gloved, skeletal hand to her. 

“I APOLOGIZE FOR MY BROTHER’S AWFUL SENSE OF HUMOR. EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CANNOT STOP HIM. BUT, NOW YOU HAVE THE GRAND OPPORTUNITY OF BEING LEAD BY ME. I KNOW IT IS A MIGHTY HONOR TO BE BESTOWED, SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO THANK ME. I LIKE HELPING SMALL MONSTERS.” 

Buddy didn’t say anything, only stared at his hand. She looked back up at him. 

“... Papyrus, where exactly are we going?” It felt strange to talk to something that should be technically dead. It was hard to look at him without getting slightly unnerved, so she tried to focus on a specific part of him that wasn’t strange. 

“WHY, WE’RE GOING TO SNOWDIN. IT’S A LITTLE TOWN COVERED IN SNOW. SANS AND I LIVE THERE, SO THERE’S NO POSSIBLE WAY I COULD LEAD YOU ASTRAY, IF THAT’S WHY YOU SEEM SO HESITANT.” 

“I just don’t… Talk to a lot of skeletons.” 

“WHAT?? THAT SOUNDS LIKE A VERY SAD LIFE. I’M CHANGING ALL OF THAT RIGHT NOW.” 

“Okay.” She felt disoriented by the abrupt change in the atmosphere, but with what little she was able to emotionally process, going with the flow seemed fine. She gave the skeleton’s hand a slight push, sending it away. “Take me to Snowdin, I guess.” 

Papyrus seemed to grin at this, his fists clenching as he marched forward. Buddy kept up with him, exhaling another bite of frosty air. She glanced over at the jolly skeleton, wondering if she could really believe this to be a believable point in her life. 

“IT’S NOT A VERY LONG WALK IN MY OPINION, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, I HAVE MADE THIS QUITE A TREACHEROUS TRAIL. YOU SEE, HUMANS WHO FIND THEMSELVES ENSNARED IN THE UNDERGROUND WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FACE MY PUZZLES.” 

“... You’re going to give them puzzles?” 

“OF COURSE! THEN I PLAN TO CAPTURE THEM WITH THOSE VERY PUZZLES.” 

“Why?” 

“BECAUSE I ENJOY PUZZLES. WHAT A BETTER WAY TO CAPTURE HUMANS, THAN TO USE SOMETHING I TRULY ENJOY. IT WOULDN’T BE HALF AS FUN IF I USED MEANS I HATED.” 

There was something about the way he acted that Buddy found calming. It didn’t really come from his voice, but rather the context of his character. It was a familiar feeling that felt too hazy to properly mull over. 

“I meant, why do you want to capture a human?” 

Papyrus stopped, his gloved hand resting under his chin as he posed before the girl. 

“IF I CAPTURE A HUMAN, I WILL CERTAINLY BE LET INTO THE ROYAL GUARD.” 

“Royal Guard?” 

“YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF THE ROYAL GUARD?? WELL, THAT IS CONSIDERABLY LESS SURPRISING TO ME, THAN YOUR LACK OF SKELETON CONVERSATION… BY THE WAY, YOU ARE DOING WONDERFUL! I REALLY DO ENJOY TALKING ABOUT THINGS I HAVE A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE ON.” 

“So, what is the Royal Guard?” 

He started to walk again, at a much slower pace so that he could talk without distraction. 

“THE ROYAL GUARD IS… A GUARD. THINK OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE, WHO RESIDE UNDER THE KING. THEIR JOB IS TO DO COOL THINGS LIKE CAPTURE HUMANS AND BE PRESTIGIOUS AND POPULAR. ALL THINGS THAT I WILL HAVE ONCE I FIND A HUMAN.” 

“What will happen to the human once you capture them?” 

Papyrus shrugged. 

“UNDYNE WOULD PROBABLY TAKE THEM IN AND ESCORT THEM TO THE CAPITAL. I’M NOT REALLY SURE HOW ALL OF THAT WORKS… BUT I WILL KNOW ONCE I JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!” 

“The capital?” 

“YES. NEW HOME. NOT A VERY CREATIVE NAME, BUT THE KING IS THE KING AFTER ALL.”

Buddy glanced about and found another stand in her peripherals. It was slightly malformed and made of cardboard, but other than that, a sentry station. Noticing her swayed curiosity, Papyrus jogged over to the station and grinned proudly. 

“I SEE YOU HAVE TAKEN NOTICE OF MY WELL-CRAFTED STATION… I MADE IT MYSELF, JUST FOR THE OCCASION WHEN I AM TO BE ADDED INTO THE ROYAL GUARD. I TAKE MY ROYAL GUARDSMANSHIP VERY SERIOUSLY.” 

She approached this stand and touched it. It was flimsy, put together using a variety of uncooked pastas. She was sure she could take it down with a few kicks, but seeing the smiling skeleton reminded her to be on her best behavior. She peered inside and found it to be small enough for her to be able to climb into. It was hard to imagine someone as large as Papyrus to fit within something so tiny. 

“Papyrus?” 

“HM?” He was dusting off a bit of snow from the shambling roof of his cardboard creation, and now directed his sockets to her. It was still relatively unnerving to witness. 

“Do you have anything warm?” She asked, looking away as she did so. Her fingers were cold, even as she rubbed them against each other. The friction wasn’t enough to override the feeling. 

The skeleton reached his hands behind himself and untied his cool scarf. He leaned down and Buddy flinched. She did not move from her spot, only feeling slightly defensive against his oncoming form. She knew what he was doing now, and allowed it. 

He tied the scarf around her neck and then pulled the gloves off his skeletal fingers. She could see them now, which was now a less surprising sight than it had been before. He held the gloves out to her. She took them and placed them around her hands. 

The gloves felt faintly warm and were a little large on her, but she held onto them. 

“Thanks.” She said, moving forward and past him. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I DID SAY I LIKE HELPING SMALL MONSTERS.” 

Buddy wondered if she looked like a monster to him. Maybe it was the dust. But if that was the case, she figured he would not be so kind to her. Part of her wondered if it was really noticeable, as she hadn’t seen her own reflection since being in Toriel’s house. 

Papyrus started off as well, walking along with her. He seemed to be more inclined to walking at a faster pace, but deliberately slowed himself to hers. Buddy was in no condition to run like she was used to. Her body was fatigued, despite the sleep and food she had previously. The migraine had gone away completely, however, which she felt grateful over. She was sure it was the last remnants of the Joy. 

They didn’t talk for a little while, both of them focused on the path ahead. Papyrus, however, would make small comments on things that Buddy would merely nod at. 

“OVER HERE, YOU WILL SEE A VERY IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD: DOGGO!” 

As the both of them passed by Doggo’s stand, Papyrus gave a very excitable wave. Doggo squinted at the both of them and gnawed on a dog treat. He didn’t seem to like their presence, as his eyes followed their movements… But he did not leave his stand. 

Buddy had never seen a dog before, let alone a ‘Doggo’. But she had noted that this underground was going to be filled with many more strange creatures. She wanted to adjust herself to the sight of them, despite the uneasy feeling they gave her. 

Papyrus lead her over the slippery patch of ice, stumbling over it himself. He laughed to himself in a way Buddy found startling and boisterous. It was the sort of laugh you would imagine a skeleton to make, if normal skeletons could laugh. There was something about it, that to her, seemed rather amusing. She found it endearing, but would not have admitted it. 

After crossing the slippery pass, Papyrus lead her further down the snow-fallen road. It seemed that the snow itself was losing its height the farther they went. The smattering of trees on all sides stayed at a reasonable amount, contrasted by the sight of even more forest off the cliff side. 

Papyrus stopped her and gestured to what looked to be absolutely nothing. 

“What is it?”

“THERE IS A MAZE HERE. WE DON’T HAVE TO TREAD WITH CAUTION, BUT I DON’T WANT YOU BUMPING INTO ANY WALLS.” 

She looked around, still seeing nothing. 

“I don’t see a maze here.” 

“IT IS AN INVISIBLE MAZE. LET ME SHOW YOU.” He proceeded to step forward and walk himself through the maze’s entrance quite carefully. He touched the walls of the maze, patted them. 

From Buddy’s perspective, he was patting the air. She overlooked what seemed to her like a ridiculous game and stepped forward, following him in his footsteps.

As they went through the maze, Buddy could clearly feel an enclosed presence. It wasn’t until she actually bumped into a wall that she believed him. 

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT??” He asked her, turning around quickly. 

She nodded and rubbed her right cheek before following him a little more closely. She looked back at where the maze was, just as they exited it. It was like nothing she had ever conceived, and yet there it was. 

“WE ARE OUTSIDE OF THE MAZE, SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO FOLLOW ME AS CLOSELY.” Papyrus assured her. 

“I know.” Buddy retorted, walking with him side-by-side once more. 

They continued onto their journey towards Snowdin. Buddy had no idea how long it would take to get to such a place, but a part of her knew that there was no sense in worrying over it. Maybe it was just her mind telling her to calm down. 

The sights around them never seemed to lose their color, despite being a simple palette of white and green. There was something wondrous about this place that Buddy was fond of. Even if the insistent wind would pierce through to her skin every now and again, it would not sway her fascination.

A blue rabbit man stood leaning against a small cart. He didn’t seem to mind the cold as much, which could be more accredited to his restful state. He muttered something about how this was the perfect weather for something cold. The man perked up at the sight of Papyrus and Buddy, excited by the chance that they could be customers.

Papyrus paused the journey momentarily. 

“WOULD YOU CARE FOR A NICE CREAM? I FELT LIKE HAVING ONE MYSELF THIS MORNING. I AM SURE I COULD GIFT ONE TO YOU AS WELL.” 

Buddy had no idea what a ‘nice cream’ was, but she had no desire to find out now. 

“I’m not hungry.” 

The skeleton shrugged and together they hurried past the Nice Cream Man, who seemed quite sorrowful at the fact that no one wanted his frozen treats. 

As the two reached the end of the snowbank and the beginning of another icy patch, Papyrus stopped the girl from walking ahead. 

“HOLD ON, I THINK THIS ONE CAN BE A LITTLE TRICKY… AS A FUTURE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, IT IS MY DUTY TO BE OF USE. AND HERE, I SHALL HELP YOU CROSS WITH MY VALIANT EFFORTS.” 

Papyrus offered his hand and gestured for Buddy to take it. It didn’t seem like she had any other option. She wasn’t so used to walking on ice. Her eyes glued themselves onto his skeletal fingers before carefully meeting his hand with her own. She watched as he lightly gripped onto her gloved hand, pulling her closer.

He began leading her across, which seemed marginally easier as they walked together. Each step was made with the utmost care. 

Buddy felt uneasy having to rely on someone else. It’s all she had been doing since she fell into the underground. She knew she was hurt and lost and tired, but despite all of this, it was something her pride nipped at. She was relying on someone else to lead her somewhere unknown and yet, she did not speak up or resist. 

They arrived at the other side, Papyrus letting go of Buddy’s hand. Both of them took to walking soon enough. Buddy tried to walk ahead and walk faster, which only lead to Papyrus matching the pace. As much as she wished to be self-reliant, she had to admit that being in the company of someone else was better than being alone. The skeleton at her side gave her the impression of good company, better than most she had known.

Upon finding another oddity in their path, the pair stopped. A few feet away from them lied a small piece of paper. It scarcely moved against the breeze. As they came closer to it, the words also become clear.

Buddy reached down and picked up the Monster Kidz Word Search™.

“WHAT IS THIS?” 

“I thought you would tell me.” 

Papyrus stamped his foot on the ground. 

“OH, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS! THIS HAS SANS WRITTEN ALL OVER IT! DESPITE IT… NOT TECHNICALLY HAVING HIS NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER IT. IT SEEMS LIKE A VERY SANS-WORTHY JEST.” 

Buddy placed the Monster Kidz Word Search™ back onto the ground. It didn’t seem useful enough for her to place in her bag, and observing Papyrus seemed to take up most of her attention anyway.

“You don’t really seem that angry at him.” 

He turned to look at her, questionably. 

“I’M NOT. HE’S MY BROTHER. SOMETIMES HE DOES THINGS THAT I DON’T EXACTLY AGREE WITH… BUT IN THE END, HE IS STILL MY BROTHER. I CARE A LOT ABOUT HIM. DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS OF YOUR OWN-” 

He stopped himself upon realizing that he hadn’t asked her for her name until now. It seemed like something very insensitive, but it hadn’t come up the entire time. Now that he was setup to use it, it all seemed quite embarrassing. 

Buddy had grown rigid at the mention of siblings. After all she had seen so far, a part of her wondered if it would even make a difference to mention Dustin. This skeleton, however harmless, knew nothing about her. He didn’t even realize that she was human. Revealing personal information was out of the question. 

It took a moment for the both of them to realize that neither one had been saying anything. They had been standing there, irresolute, for more than a few casual moments. The air was rife with silence. 

“... YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOUR NAME. NYEH-HEH… HEH HEH… IT SEEMS VERY RUDE OF MYSELF, THE… THE GREAT PAPYRUS, TO ASK YOU FOR IT NOW… BUT!” He took the moment to capitalize on his emphatic gestures. “I’LL DO IT ANYWAY. TELL ME, WHAT IS YOUR NAME?”

Buddy did not expect to be asked that. She herself hadn’t noticed the lack of a proper greeting. She wasn’t used to greeting others in the first place. 

“Oh.” She mustered, before continuing. “It’s… It’s Buddy.” 

“BUDDY?” 

“Yeah. My name is Buddy.” 

Papyrus seemed to smile. 

“IT’S NICE TO OFFICIALLY MEET YOU, BUDDY. I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THIS MUCH EARLIER…” He seemed to rub his finger bones against his chin. “COME TO THINK OF IT, I REALLY HAVE BEEN TALKING AN AWFUL LOT ABOUT MYSELF… IT’S UNFAIR TO YOU, ISN’T IT?”

“No.” She blurted it out, the response leaving her before she could mull over a simple thought. 

“A TRULY MODEST MONSTER… SAY, WHERE DID YOU COME FROM, ANYWAY?” 

Her fingers timidly rubbed against the fabric of the gloves. For some reason, this seemed to ease her mind and bring clarity to her train of thought. She knew she had to think up something. 

The fact that she was apparently the only human being in this place gnawed at her, and had been, since she had made the realization. She wondered if she could truly trust anyone here. Looking at the skeleton in front of her… There really was something about him that gave her a need to be earnest. 

“I came from a place called Olathe.” She said, feeling that this would be a suitable answer for now. 

“OLATHE? I DON’T REMEMBER A TOWN HERE WITH THAT NAME.” 

Her feelings of respite were undoubtedly crushed. 

“It’s…” She gestured with her hands a bit, not really knowing what to do with them in the first place. “Um… There.” 

Papyrus held the same vacantly clueless expression. He seemed to be patiently waiting for her to explain herself. 

“... It… It’s up there.” 

“UP THERE? WE HAVE A FLOATING TOWN??” 

She placed both of her gloved hands on her face. It was rather warm, and she came to be hesitant to remove them until she figured she had to continue her explanation. 

“No, no, I meant… The place where I’m from is on the surface.” 

Papyrus blinked. 

“... THE SURFACE?” 

“Yeah. I’m a human.” 

“A HUMAN??” 

“Yeah.” 

The skeleton turned away from Buddy, muddled by his own thoughts. The way he took a stance, he seemed stolid. This was a remarkable day for him and he had just happened upon the greatest coincidence of his life.

Papyrus turned around. 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE SANS DIDN’T TELL ME!” He hollered, stamping his foot at the start of his tantrum. His frustrations were more out of shame, than of anger. “I HAD A HUMAN IN MY COMPANY THE ENTIRE TIME AND HE DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER TO TELL ME!” 

Buddy watched as he continued on, pacing back and forth and ranting about the Royal Guard and p-related alliterations. When he finally had the sense to calm down, Buddy approached him. She held out his gloves to him. 

He stared at them. 

He pushed her hands away, slowly. 

“BUDDY?” 

“What? I’m a human. I told you. You said you needed to capture a human, right? Well, here I am. I’m captured. You’ve captured me.” She didn’t want to look at him. 

Papyrus stood there for a good minute before kneeling down. 

“... I SEE. YOU… YOU REALLY DON’T MIND BEING CAPTURED. IT SEEMS A LITTLE… UNFAIR THAT I’VE BEEN SOLVING ALL THE PUZZLES FOR YOU… SO, I PROPOSE THAT I DELIVER YOU TO SNOWDIN FIRST. THEN, I WILL CAPTURE YOU AND YOU CAN… STAY AT MY HOUSE.” 

Buddy gawked at him, her eye rising to meet that of his sockets. She could have sworn she had misheard him- but here he was, beaming as confidently as ever. 

“What?” 

“AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO CAPTURE A HUMAN AND SEE THEM OFF TO THE CAPITAL AND JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD IMMEDIATELY… I THINK I WILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH OR WITHOUT A HUMAN. AND… I THINK YOU ARE A RATHER NICE HUMAN. YOU’VE LISTENED TO EVERYTHING I’VE SAID FOR THE MOST PART.” 

“... I don’t think you’re making a good decision.” She mumbled. True, none of this felt particularly wrong, but she felt a reason to worry. There was something to be wary of, when it seemed that an entire community could be benefited by hauling you off to their monarch. 

“I THINK I AM, BECAUSE I WILL BE PROTECTING SOMEONE WHO NEEDS IT. YOU ALSO SEEM QUITE CONFUSED… SO I MAY BE ABLE TO TEACH YOU SOME THINGS YOU HADN’T KNOWN BEFORE. I WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO THE IMMACULATE TEACHINGS OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS.” 

It was then that she knew she could never change his mind. She sighed and started to put the gloves back onto her chilly hands. 

“I’m… Not as nice of a person as you’ll come to realize.” 

Papyrus got back up to his feet and gave her a pat on the head. It was soft and swift enough that she had little time to react. 

Buddy slowly looked up to the tall skeleton, puzzled by the platonic action. 

“WE CAN WORK ON IT.” 

As he grinned, she took to looking ahead and started off. Papyrus kept up right behind her, unable to see her expression. 

She rubbed the bright red glove against her face, wiping away the tiny tears that leaked. She looked back at the glove only to see the sullen, matted gray of dust and dirt. The fibers had still clung to her face. She knew she must have looked horrible, though she had never seen herself as appearing pristine. 

The stain left on the gloves stared back at her until she bundled the abhorrent splotch into her fist.

For the first time in her life, Buddy Armstrong was feeling the deep pangs of regret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I greatly apologize for not updating yesterday, as there were some constraints on my part. I am very glad to get this chapter out! For now, I will be taking a small holiday to celebrate, well, holidays. The fanfic will not be updating until sometime after Christmas. However, I promise that these days will pass by quickly. 
> 
> Speaking of which, here is the song of this chapter. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LGK-IA23EY
> 
> Happy Holidays, everyone!


	5. A Nice, Warm Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buddy and Papyrus have an excellent adventure.

“What is this?” She asked him, approaching the spontaneously placed tables beside the odd cliffside. 

They hadn’t walked ahead very much before coming across the next peculiarity in their road. Papyrus seemed rather energetic about this particular sight, stomping over and holding his arms out as if presenting something truly astounding. 

“THIS IS… OR, SHOULD I SAY WAS A VERY BRILLIANT DISTRACTION ON MY PART.” Papyrus proceeded to open up the microwave that rested on the rightmost table, reaching inside and taking out a plate of spaghetti. “VOILÀ! DO YOU SEE THIS? MY CULINARY MASTERPIECE?”

Buddy lethargically blinked at the soggy plate of pasta. She didn’t really know what it was, but she could guess what it was supposed to be. 

“It looks like food.” She commented, not truly certain for herself. 

“THAT’S BECAUSE IT IS FOOD. IT WAS WAITING HERE, SHOULD A HUMAN ARRIVE… I PLANNED TO PLACE IT OUT AND LEAVE A VERY INCONSPICUOUS NOTE. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS THAT MY PLANS ARE NOW ALL FOR NOUGHT…” 

Despite this, the skeleton didn’t seem as forlorn as he attempted to make himself out to be. He placed the spaghetti back inside the unplugged microwave, closing it. Buddy made her way over to his side once more. 

“Maybe I’ll be hungry by the time we get there…” She felt just a little bit sorry for the skeleton. He seemed rather proud of himself and allowing him to stay smiling whilst his hopes were slashed to bits seemed… Unpleasant. Offering him a small sliver of chance through which his ambitions could be fulfilled appeared fair to her wakeless mind. Papyrus was overjoyed at the suggestion. 

“I’LL COOK YOU UP THE BEST MEAL A ROYAL GUARDSMAN COULD POSSIBLY MAKE. THERE’S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT YOU WILL ENJOY MY CUISINE… THOUGH, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE ON THE SURFACE. I’M QUITE CURIOUS.” 

“There’s really not much there… We had lots of jerky, alcohol and some tea… It wasn’t ever really good.” 

Papyrus paused as the both of them passed through one puzzle. The spikes hadn’t been reset for the day, which allowed them to avoid any rigorous puzzle solving. 

“THERE’S NO SPAGHETTI?” He asked, a smallness in his voice. 

“No.” 

“THAT’S THE WORST THING I’VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE!! WHEN WE GET OUT OF HERE, I AM GOING TO BRING SPAGHETTI TO EVERYONE! IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT STAPLE MONSTERS HAVE TO OFFER! ASIDE FROM MYSELF OF COURSE.” 

There was a certain strength in his tone, as he stated his plans. He was not so much devastated, as he was devoted to his own personal causes. Buddy could not quite discern such passion, but she respected it nonetheless. 

They proceeded to walk towards a turn in the ridge, before being called out to. 

“You two! Stay right where you are!” 

Two cloaked figures made their way over to the travelers, wielding formidable battle axes. As they approached, Buddy made a point to stick behind Papyrus. She was in an unfamiliar land, and felt certain that he had some way of dealing with things that wandered his way. 

“OH, HELLO! WE’RE JUST HEADING BACK TO SNOWDIN! WE DID NOT MEAN TO TRESPASS FOR LONG.” 

“We can smell you just fine, Papyrus. Just like bones and old spaghetti.” Remarked one, with a much softer tone. 

“It’s that one we’ve got to smell.” Spoke out the other, stern and forceful. They pointed a paw towards Buddy, glaring down through their cloak. “They don’t exactly seem to be from around these parts…” 

Papyrus allowed himself to quiet, murmuring his first sentence. 

“UM… YES, I SEE YOUR POINT. I’M SURE THIS LITTLE MONSTER HERE WOULDN’T MIND IT.” There was definitely a nervousness in the way he said this, stepping aside and gesturing towards Buddy. He gave her a quick glance before looking towards the cloaked guards. 

Buddy gawked at him, then towards the guards, who removed their cloaks. They appeared to be dogs as well, just like the last guard. One seemed more overtly masculine than the other, but they both looked over Buddy with the same air of curiosity. She couldn’t idly stand there without making a few choice inquiries. 

“Why do you need to smell me?” She asked, rather suspiciously. 

“Because you’re not from around here, we need to make sure you’re not a human…” Retorted the feminine canine, circling the child along with her partner. 

They sniffed loudly and then recoiled. The both of them moved a little way’s away before striking up a loud, whispered conversation.

“She smells like trash.” The male hound mumbled before getting lightly tapped by his paramor. 

“Dogamy, that’s incredibly rude! It’s the truth, but it is also rude.” 

“They need a bath.” 

“Well, I’m not going to do it. My fur’s too nice today. I can’t possible get it dirty just yet.” 

“Should we just let them pass? It seems a little irresponsible, Dogaressa…” 

“Don’t bother with it so much, Dogamy, you’re the most responsible dog I know. One smelly monster isn’t going to tarnish the bunch.”

“Oh, you’re right.” 

The couple turned towards the travelers in waiting, nodding their heads. 

“You can pass through. But please remember to bathe when you get there.” 

Papyrus let out a deep breath, grinning and heading off towards the next location, beckoning Buddy to come along with him. 

She obliged, glancing back at the dogs as they once again adorned their cloaks, speaking with each other about mundane things that had little to nothing to do with their actual task at hand. 

Once they seemed out of range, a conversation started up once again. 

“Who were they? Why didn’t they take me in? Why did they have axes?” 

“THEY’RE MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL GUARD. THEY CARRY WEAPONS TO DEFEND MONSTERS FROM ANYTHING THAT MAY BRING THEM HARM. AND FROM WHAT THEY WERE SAYING… I THINK YOU SMELLED RATHER AWFUL TO THEM, SO THEY COULDN’T RECOGNIZE YOU AS HUMAN.” 

All of this seemed reasonable. She hadn’t met any monsters until now, so it only made sense that they hadn’t met many humans prior to this encounter. It was marginally relieving. 

“So you’re going to bring me to your house when we get to Snowdin?” 

“THAT WAS THE PLAN. THE NEW PLAN, WHICH I MADE UP ENTIRELY BY IMPROVISING. I’M SURE YOU’LL LIKE IT. YOU CAN HAVE A PLACE TO SLEEP, THERE’S A SHOWER, AND I’LL SHARE WITH YOU ALL THE PASTA I HAVE STOCKED UP.” 

“Sounds nice, I suppose… Why do all this for me? You don’t exactly know me. Or owe me anything.” 

They came across a series of rocks and symbols strewn over the snow. Papyrus gestured for her to stay back as he proceeded to stamp them into place. Whilst doing this, he continued to speak. 

“THAT’S TRUE, BUT I WANT TO DO THIS FOR YOU. MY BROTHER ASKED ME TO DO SO, AND SO I HAVE TO KEEP MY WORD… BESIDES, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I KNOW. I REALLY FEEL LIKE THERE’S SOMETHING I COULD DO. MAYBE I CAN’T HELP YOU IN ALL THE WAYS YOU NEED, BUT I CAN AT LEAST GIVE WHAT I HAVE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?” 

He changed bright blue x-shapes sketched into the snow into circular red o’s before gesturing to Buddy to step onto the button. She did so, contemplating his words. He wasn’t lying, and his offer was a convenient one for her situation. A part of her had been unable to wrap around such kindness. Sure, she had known some people who cared about her… But the warnings she had been given always seemed to drive her away from truly trusting people. 

“It does. I think.” 

Papyrus smiled, in a way that could be taken as a skeleton’s ‘smile’. 

“I THINK YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO LIKE IT HERE. THERE ARE A LOT OF VERY NICE MONSTERS IN SNOWDIN. MAYBE I COULD INTRODUCE YOU TO A FEW. I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW, I AM A RATHER EMINENT AND INFLUENTIAL MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. A LOT OF PEOPLE REALLY LOOK UP TO ME, AND WITH MY HELP, I AM SURE YOU’LL BE READILY ACCEPTED HERE.” 

Buddy didn’t know how exactly to feel about this. True, this seemed to be a very positive endeavor, but she was not sure if it was an actual possibility. There were still many things she didn’t know about this place. She was only gradually growing accustomed to walking side-by-side with a talking skeleton. Other things laid hidden further in this underground, she was sure, but how to deal with them, she was not. 

The two of them continued on, trudging through the mostly ignored cold of the snow. The road through seemed to leave little space for sight-seeing, as many puzzles lay further on. Papyrus made a similar gesture towards Buddy, as another puzzle of a similar caliber to the last one made itself apparent. He didn’t seem to mind stepping through a pattern he most likely had memorized to heart, nor wordlessly asking his human companion to step upon another large button. 

Buddy, however, had grown extremely weary of puzzle-solving. 

“Why are there so many puzzles down here?” 

“BECAUSE PUZZLES ARE FUN. DON’T YOU LIKE THEM?” 

“All I’ve done since I’ve gotten here is risk my life to solve these things.” 

“I DON’T THINK THIS LAST PUZZLE WAS VERY TREACHEROUS. YOU’RE STARTING TO SOUND A LITTLE LIKE MY BROTHER, YOU KNOW.” 

“The last ones weren’t that bad. I’m just really tired. I kind of hurt myself coming down here and I haven’t gotten any good sleep in… Well, in a while, actually.” 

Papyrus seemed to ponder this as the two of them advanced forward, past a row of lowered spikes and towards a patch of ground lit up with monochrome squares. An odd machine nestled itself in the corner, untouched. The skeleton seemed to pay no heed towards it, focusing more on the company he kept. 

“DO NOT WORRY, YOU’LL HAVE A PLACE TO REST FOR SURE. I DON’T SLEEP MUCH AT ALL, SO YOU CAN USE MY BED. IT’S PRETTY COOL, SO YOU’LL HAVE A GOOD SLEEP FOR SURE.” 

Buddy looked up at him, feeling somber for one reason or another. She knew why he seemed so familiar now, but she didn’t have the courage to say it out loud. Nor could she, to a complete stranger. Instead, she swallowed her words and managed to speak new ones in their place. 

“... Thank you.” 

Another snow pass came by, the return of taller trees and new monsters coming upon their path. A dog dressed in chainmail and armor was busy patting down powdery chunks of fine snow, molding them into strange, dog-like shapes. He panted as his paws went to work, steadily creating some work of art. 

Buddy stared at this strange dog, his eyes meeting hers. Within them, there was a darkness she had never seen before. He barked at her. She carried on, keeping up with Papyrus as best she could. His strides seemed to be getting longer, or she was quickly slowing down. 

“How much longer is it?” She complained. 

“NOT MUCH LONGER, DON’T WORRY! WE’LL BE GETTING THERE SOONER THAN YOU THINK. WE JUST HAVE TO PASS BY ONE MORE PUZZLE AND ONE MORE GUARD BEFORE WE GET TO A LONG BRIDGE.” 

“And then we’re there?”

“WELL, MY HOUSE IS A LITTLE WAYS AWAY, UNLESS WE USE THE TUNNELS.”

“I’m too tired to crawl through tunnels.” 

“THEY’RE VERY EASY TO ACCESS.” 

“I’m too tired to crawl through tunnels.” She reiterated a little more dourly, her fatigue catching up to her. 

“ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I UNDERSTAND YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. YOU REALLY ARE AS TIRESOME AS MY BROTHER. HE SLEEPS COUNTLESS HOURS EVERY NIGHT.” 

“Sounds amazing.” Buddy whispered under her breath, stopping at the foot of another icy impasse. “... I see symbols and a button.” 

Hesitantly, she tested the icy to see just how slippery it was, finding it to be quite the challenge. She pulled her foot away, looking towards Papyrus for an answer. 

“So?” 

“WE MOVE ACROSS. BUT, YOU’LL HAVE TO HOLD ONTO MY HANDS, SO THAT YOU DON’T GO SLIDING OFF INTO DANGER.” 

“I can do that.” 

“GREAT! I’VE HAD TO DO ALL OF THESE PUZZLES ENOUGH TIMES THAT I KNOW THE QUICKEST WAY THROUGH THEM.” 

He offered his hand and quickly enough it was taken. Buddy looked over the various tiny bones that made up his uncovered, skeletal hand. It almost made her feel relieved that she was wearing his gloves. 

Carefully, he began to lead her onto a safe, snowy position before sliding to the next. He could feel the girl’s grip tightening against his hand and it almost made him smile. In his mind, he was sure that this was the right thing to be doing. A part of him felt that he should have focused on capturing humans for the sake of stabilizing his future position… But he couldn’t. 

Papyrus was glad to lead this little human through such puzzles. Even if she did seem a little too indolent for his own tastes, she was still appreciated. There was something about this entire situation that gave him a need to work harder- to strive for a little more than a position in the Royal Guard. 

He thought he had a chance at making a valuable friend. 

They stepped onto the last platform. Buddy stomped on the button, allowing their passage through the large thicket. She hadn’t yet released his hand. 

“There’s one more guard ahead of us?” 

“THAT’S RIGHT. BUT…” He decided this seemed like the best time for a dramatic pause. “I THINK I WILL ALLOW YOU TO HANDLE THEM.” 

“What?”

“I THINK YOU’RE CAPABLE ENOUGH TO HANDLE THEM.”

“I don’t want to fight anyone.”

“WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT FIGHTING? IF YOU’RE NOT USED TO NON-FIGHTING ACTIONS, I CAN ABSOLUTELY GUIDE YOU THROUGH WHAT TO DO… THAT IS, IF YOU’LL LET ME.” 

The two of them started through the brush, the narrow walkway surrounded by a safe haven of dense trees which obscured what little light came from above. It seemed to stay significantly warmer in this place, compared to the cold outside of it. Snow would drop from the treetops every now and again. Buddy pondered over his words. It seemed useful enough to her. 

“Sure. Just tell me what I have to do.” 

Papyrus beamed brightly, taken with his chances of making a suitable friend. 

“I’LL WAIT TO TELL YOU WHEN WE’RE THERE. I PROMISE IT WILL BE VERY SIMPLE.” 

“Okay…” She didn’t think he would have made any of this up. Already, he had proved to be quite reliable and trustworthy. There were plenty of other things to be skeptical about in a world like this, that she just couldn’t bring herself to question. It had all seemed too strange. 

They drew closer to the exit, the light of the white landscape pouring in through the trees whenever it could. Papyrus pushed away a branch as Buddy went ahead of him. Through her eye, she could see little lumps of snow had cascaded themselves over leveled ground. A small sentry stood guard, but leaning over, she could see no one inside. 

“Where’s the guard?” She asked. 

“JUST UP AHEAD. THEY’RE… HIDING.” 

“Hiding?” She took the time to scan the area, seeing nothing ahead. She could even see the bridge from where she was and the lights of a nearby town. They sparkled so warmly, so magnificently that she couldn’t help but be taken aback. Her feet moved before she did, taking her forward and leading her towards the bridge. 

Something moved before her and she ended up tripping over one of the various lumps of snow, falling face first into it. The cold bit at her skin as she got up, wiping it off her face with the gloves she wore. The bandages over her eye had now become soggy, the liquid snow oozing through and dripping into her empty socket. She shivered at the feeling, not letting it perturb her for long. She got to her feet, noticing a shadow behind her as she dusted off her dampened poncho. 

“I’m okay,” She murmured, turning around. “It’s noth-” 

She sucked the words back into her throat with a short gasp, staring up at the lumbering creature before her. It stood there in full armor, spear in hand. She took a step back. 

It barked. 

“BUDDY, THAT’S THE GUARD!” 

“Wha.. What am I supposed to do, he’s going to kill me!” She wanted to run away, but her legs wouldn’t let her. She had a deeply-set feeling that this guard would catch her indefinitely if she ran. 

“YOU HAVE TO PET HIM!” 

“What??” 

“TELL HIM TO COME DOWN TO YOUR LEVEL AND PET HIS HEAD!” 

 

“That’s insane!” 

“NO, NO, IT REALLY ISN’T! JUST LISTEN TO ME!” 

“You’re going to get me killed!” 

“I’D NEVER DO THAT! HE’S ONLY SEEMINGLY INTIMIDATING. YOU JUST NEED TO TIRE HIM OUT.” 

Buddy looked from Papyrus to the Greater Dog that stood before her. She had never had a chance to meet any dogs. She knew what they were, but petting one had never been yielded as an option to her. For anything. This seemed utterly unfathomable to her, but a part of her knew she had no real choice but to trust in this strange world. In this strange skeleton who thought of her so kindly. 

She reached out her hand, slowly, not making contact just yet. 

“I’m…” She said, softly. “I’m going to pet you….” 

The Greater Dog stared down at her hand before giving a friendly bark, bounding out of his armor and onto the girl. She could only widen her eyes before the impact struck, knocking her down. It was considerably painful, due to her injury, and she hissed over the pain. 

Her eye had closed now, as she laid in the cold snow, a dog licking at her face. The smell was repugnant, but she figured she probably smelled even worse. She opened her eye and stared at the little white creature. It’s tongue lapped at her scars, which stung. She flinched and it recoiled, giving a pleasant bark. 

Buddy sat up, shaking off the snow and met the eyes of the creature once more. She glanced back up at the stagnant suit of armor and then placed her hand on the dog. His fur was soft and now, newly wet. At any chance her could, he’d lick her hand. She smiled at the sight, feeling a new calm from this entire situation. 

Papyrus strode forth and knelt down next to the both of them. 

“SEE, IT WASN’T THAT DIFFICULT, NOW WAS IT?” 

She looked up at him, her thoughts coming back to her as she met with the skeleton’s familiar gaze, if you could call it that. Her hand was still busy petting the dog. 

“No… No, it really wasn’t.” She wrapped a hand under the dog and tried to hold it, finding this to be much more difficult than she first thought. The Greater Dog scrambled out of her arms and back into it’s suit of armor. 

It barked once more before heading towards Snowdin at a persistent speed. Both of them gawked before looking to each other once more. 

“ARE YOU READY TO GO HOME? ER, TO MY HOME, THAT IS?” 

She nodded, wiping her somewhat slimy hand on her poncho and stepping forward. 

The both of them crossed the bridge with ease, as Papyrus explained his intricate plan for capturing a human and all the artillery it entailed. Buddy listened, making some of her own observations and explaining why he would have a better chance capturing them at the start than giving them strange puzzles. Papyrus then went on to re-explain his passion for puzzles until they entered the town of Snowdin. 

Lights flashed various wintry colors as Buddy read the sign. Snowdin seemed like a rather convenient name for the town, but then she figured that was probably the point. 

There were many creatures roaming around her. Some looked like rabbits, some like bears, and some were overall much too strange to place. The both of them passed by a large pine tree decorated in the nicest lights Buddy had ever seen. Presents were placed around it. 

“What’s that?” 

“HM? THE TREE?” 

“Yeah. What’s with the boxes and the lights?” 

“IT’S A TRADITION. EVERY YEAR WE SET OUT PRESENTS AND GIVE GIFTS AROUND THIS TIME… AND A JOLLY MAN NAMED SANTA COMES AROUND AND GIVES GIFTS OF HIS OWN. YOU DON’T HAVE THAT ON THE SURFACE?” 

“No. We didn’t have a lot on the surface… There’s a lot more here than there is up there…” 

However troubling, Papyrus kept his chin up and gave Buddy a little pat on the head. She accepted it without another word, glancing at the various establishments. 

“What’s a Grillby’s?”

“IT’S A PLACE SANS GOES TO, ALL TOO OFTEN. IT’S RATHER GREASY SO I CHOOSE NOT TO GO IN. I’D RATHER PARTAKE IN FILLING MYSELF WITH DELICIOUS PASTA. OF MY OWN MAKING.” 

“So… What’s inside?”

“FOOD MOSTLY. AND PEOPLE. AND THINGS THAT PEOPLE WHO DRINK LIKE TO DRINK.” 

“Is there alcohol?” 

“YES, BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE ANY, IT’S NOT… WELL, IT’S NOT RIGHT.” 

“Why? I think I have enough to buy it.” She began to shuffle through her bag. Yes, she was very certain she still had some of Olathe’s standard currency. She pulled out the May 1984th edition of Hustler magazine. It featured a nude woman among clouds, a large cross behind her. She pulled out several other magazines of a similar erotic nature. Her inventory seemed to consist mainly of these. A majority of them were soggy. 

Papyrus covered his mouth with his hand and then attempted to tell Buddy why exactly these things were not okay for a child to have. He started out his statement by wildly gesturing towards them. 

“What?” 

“THOSE!” 

“The magazines?”

“YOU CAN’T HAVE THEM!” 

“Why not?” 

“THEY’RE NOT FOR CHILDREN!” 

“I know they’re not. Well, it’s not like I read them or anything. But, if I just use them to buy alcohol, it’s fine.” 

“YOU CAN’T BUY ALCOHOL EITHER! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN NEED TO?”

“I’m a little thirsty.”

“I’LL GET YOU SOME WATER, IT’LL BE MUCH BETTER THAN THAT! IT’S CLEAN AND REFRESHING AND… AND PLEASE PUT AWAY THOSE MAGAZINES.” 

“Fine, alright, I’m putting them away.” She proceeded to stuff away her distasteful goods and walk with Papyrus. Somehow, he seemed a lot more jittery and strange than he had before. She wondered if she somehow upset him. He did sound very upset once she took out the magazines. 

“Do you not like magazines?” 

“I LIKE MAGAZINES, BUT NOT THAT KIND.” 

“There are other kinds?” 

Papyrus wordlessly gawked at the child and sighed. 

“LET’S JUST HURRY HOME, OKAY? TODAY’S BEEN RATHER LONG FOR YOU, HASN’T IT?” 

“... I guess it has.” She still felt tired, but the conversations had kept her energized for the time being. 

They both approached the large house, which twinkled with more lights. Papyrus unlocked the door and allowed Buddy inside, telling her to put her stuff down and relax for now. 

The house was warm. Warmer than the outside and Buddy relished in it. 

“HERE, I’LL LEAD YOU TO THE BATHROOM. YOU CAN USE MY TOWELS, SINCE THEY’RE THE CLEANEST ONES. I DON’T EXACTLY CARRY SHAMPOO, BUT I DO HAVE METTATON BRAND BODY WASH THAT YOU CAN BORROW. IT SMELLS JUST LIKE METTATON.” 

“Who’s Mettaton?” 

“A VERY POPULAR CELEBRITY IN THE UNDERGROUND. I HOPE THAT I CAN MEET HIM ONE DAY! HIS SHOW IS FANTASTIC. MAYBE TOMORROW, WE CAN WATCH IT TOGETHER.” 

“Alright…” She didn’t exactly grasp what he meant by that, but he seemed so enthusiastic that saying no was not an option. She was still trying to grasp the layout of his home. It was cozy, warm and probably the most wonderful place she’d ever be able to call a home. 

The bathroom was a completely different story. It was immaculate. A shower was fixated into the corner, a toilet kept not very far away… A sink and mirror lay only adjacent from that. The bathmat was shaped like a bone. 

Papyrus set the towels over on the counter of the sink. 

“YOU CAN TAKE A NICE, LONG SHOWER ALL YOU WANT. BUT, PLEASE DON’T GET WATER EVERYWHERE. SANS SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE WITH THAT SOMETIMES…” 

“Um…” Buddy glanced from the shower to Papyrus. She stepped into the bathroom and looked back to him once more. “You’re going to have to explain the shower to me.” 

The skeleton blinked and headed into the bathroom, gesturing to the shower. He pulled back the baby blue star shower curtains and pointed at the various components of the shower. 

“THIS IS WHERE THE WATER COMES OUT. YOU TURN THIS NOZZLE.” He turned it as an example, allowing a stream to freely flow out. “TO MAKE IT WORK. YOU CAN ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER WITH THESE LITTLE NOZZLES: HOT AND COLD.” 

Buddy looked over the shower and filtered in Papyrus’ words. 

“I think I’ve got it. Um… Thank you.” She mumbled. Papyrus smiled and gave her head another pat. 

“YOU’RE VERY WELCOME. I’M GOING TO LEAVE THE DOOR A LITTLE BIT OPEN, SO THE STEAM DOESN’T MIST UP THE BATHROOM. YOU USE THE TOWELS TO COVER YOURSELF. JUST… WRAP IT AROUND YOUR BODY AND I’LL COME OVER.” 

“Alright…” 

As soon as he left, she turned on the shower, watching the water flow out. Her hands reached out to feel it. It started as burning, so she ended up squeaking and recoiling her hand. In an instant, she reached over to make it somewhat colder. Her hand turned the nozzle and she felt the water again, noting that it was decently warm. 

She shed her clothes, hesitantly at first, before peeling away the bandages that riddled her face and upper body. She looked at the place where her left nipple once was. It had now crusted over. She didn’t want to look at it for long. 

The shower consisted of recoiling in pain for the stings of the water and sitting down, allowing the warmth to overwhelm her. At some points, she felt herself falling asleep as she rested against the wall. 

By the time she felt she was done, a hearty mist had enveloped the bathroom anyway. She turned off the shower and stepped onto the mat, feeling her way over to the counter. She grabbed the white towels and wrapped one around herself. 

She faced the mirror, placing her hand on it and rubbing away the condensation. 

It was blurry, but she could clearly see herself, wet and clean. Cleaner than she’d ever been. She blinked her eyes, watching as the left one pulled back to reveal emptiness. The scars were going to take some time to heal. 

She smiled at herself and then peeked outside the bathroom. 

“Papyrus?”

A moment passed, and then a door somewhat adjacent from her opened. Inside, she could see a table covered in small figures and a Jolly Roger flag. She had seen the flag before but did not know the name. Papyrus stepped out and waved to her. 

“COME ON, I MANAGED TO FIND SOME CLOTHES FOR YOU. YOU CAN WEAR THEM WHILE I WASH YOUR OLD CLOTHES. ALSO, THIS IS WHERE YOU’LL BE SLEEPING.” He presented his prized race car bed to her as she stepped into the room. 

“It looks like a car.” 

“YES, IT DOES! ISN’T IT NEAT?” He seemed truly excited about his things, as he laid some clothes out on the bed. 

“THESE ARE THE CLOTHES. YOU CAN WEAR THEM AND COME OUT TO THE LIVING ROOM IF YOU WISH. I’M HOPING THAT SANS WOULD COME AROUND SOON ENOUGH, BUT HE’S ALWAYS TAKING HIS TIME.” 

“I think I’m just going to sleep for now.” 

“OKEY-DOKEY! GOOD NIGHT THEN! I PROMISE YOU, TOMORROW WILL BE GREAT. I’LL SHOW YOU AROUND AS MUCH AS I CAN.” 

The skeleton proceeded to exit his room, closing the door behind him. 

Buddy looked around at the large room. She took at seat on the bed and then began dressing herself. She pulled back the covers and laid down, resting her head against the pillow and staring at the ceiling. 

It had all felt like a dream to her. A fantastic dream. She never knew what it would be, to be safe and well-clothed. She closed her eyes and for once, slept in a nice, warm bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from my little break with another chapter here. Happy New Years, everyone! I hope this next year will be good for you all. I'll be sure to write more and provide you with good times all around. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-kvZtV04GE
> 
> As per usual, here's the song for this chapter. I think it's pretty fitting.


	6. Surface Dweller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buddy and Sans have a little heart-to-heart.

“Wake up.” 

It was sudden. Buddy felt herself being shaken from her slumber so quickly, her body waking before her mind could. Her eyes opened wide and directed themselves all over the room in a frenzy. 

Sans stood not too far from her, holding her poncho and boots in hand. Despite the grin that was plastered on his face, there was something about his expression that seemed humorless. 

He proceeded to toss the clothing articles onto the bed where she lay. 

“I need to have a chat with you about a few things.” He whispered softly. “We’re going to Grillby’s.” 

Buddy sat up and looked at her poncho, then towards Sans. She hadn’t found the words which she wished to use, her tongue dry and eyes considerably less sore than they had been when she decided to sleep. 

“I’ll be waiting outside the room. Papyrus is asleep. Don’t wake him up. He has a hard time sleeping as it is.” 

She nodded a little, her head feeling light. The sound of Sans opening and closing the door felt like one sole noise. 

The room around her was strange. She remembered how she had gotten here, but it took her a while to process the fact that it was still real. Her hands crept over the overside of the blanket, which felt cold until she touched that of her poncho. 

To her surprise, it was fairly warm and clean. She placed it on herself and looked over it. Not a spot on it. Though it still seemed fairly scratchy, the warmth it produced was enough to overlook this. 

Buddy moved her body outside of the blanket reluctantly and began to put her shoes back on. These also seemed clean as well. She stood up and stretched out her limbs, back cracking loudly and blissfully. 

Wordlessly, she made her way outside the room, closing the door. Sans stood in the hallway, his eyes not leaving her for a second. She stared at him, wanting to say something, but then remembering what he mentioned about his brother. 

Sans gestured for her to follow him, turning around and sauntering across his living room as his brother lay snoozing on the couch. Buddy eyed him, seeing the large skeleton draped in a large blanket while the television played on mute. Her attention was taken by the screen momentarily, before Sans tapped at her shoulder. 

“You can rot your brain later.” He remarked, opening up the front door and waiting for her to join him. She did just that, walking right into the snow and immediately clutching onto her person. Sans closed the door and stuffed his hands straight into his pockets, continuing to lead her over to Grillby’s. 

At this time, Snowdin seemed empty. The monsters she had seen previously were not to be found now. The lights around the town seemed to shine brighter than they did the last time she was awake. The whole town seemed to brighten up while the snow darkened the landscape somehow. 

“Where did everyone go?” She managed to ask, her hands curled up inside her poncho. 

“It’s around eight o’clock. So I’d say they’re in bed. Or gonna be in bed soon.” 

“Oh.” This didn’t have any real bearing on her. There was no sure-fire way to tell time in Olathe, so she never once had any idea what the exact time. She didn’t even know how many hours there were in a normal day. 

“Yeah.” Sans said simply in response, looking back at the wayward child who so willingly followed him. “You enjoy you little nap?” 

“I’ve never slept in a bed before.” 

“Sounds pretty depressing. How’re my brother’s jammies?” 

“Jammies?” 

“The clothes he gave you. They’re called pajamas. You wear them when you sleep.” 

“Oh. I didn’t know there were special clothes for sleeping.” 

“I guess it sounds kinda funny if you haven’t grown up with it.” 

“Why is my poncho so warm?” Buddy asked this just as the both of them arrived at Grillby’s. Sans opened the door and motioned for her to go on inside. She did so slowly. 

“We have this magical thing called a dryer.”

Sans walked in after her into the empty bar and grill. He waved to Grillby, who was the only other person inside the establishment. Buddy had never seen a person made entirely out of fire before, and was visibly stunned to see that such an individual could walk about so painlessly. 

Grillby glanced over his two short customers and continued to clean the last of the night’s glasses. 

“You know this place isn’t usually up for late night reservation, Sans.” The bartender murmured, paying more attention to his chores than those in his presence. 

“I know. This is a special situation though, isn’t it?” 

“It is. Take a seat, I guess.” 

Sans made his way to the bar’s counter and took a seat on one of the stools. 

“Come on, kid. It’s time we had the talk.” 

“The talk?” She asked, taking a seat next to Sans. 

“Not that talk. A different talk.” 

“I don’t know what the talk is anyway. So just tell me what we’re here to talk about.” 

“We need to talk about you being here. And where you’re from. And what we’re gonna do now that you’re here.” 

“Papyrus said that he was supposed to capture me and take me to the capital.” 

“Yeah. We were supposed to do that, but… Now there are complications. And you’re the only one who can answer my questions.” 

“What do you want to ask?” 

Sans turned to her, leaning against the bar. 

“What happened on the surface?” 

“That’s pretty vague. I can think of a lot of things that happened up there.” 

“Okay, maybe I should be more specific… Tell me about Olathe. Papyrus told me that’s where you were from.” 

“It’s…” She hesitated, “It’s not a good place to go back to. I was trying to see where I could go from there.” 

“So you didn’t know where else to go? And you fell down here?” 

“I fell down here accidentally.” 

“What exactly was wrong with Olathe?” 

“Everyone was dead. Or, mostly dead.” 

A long silence rang through the both of them. The only solace from this silence seemed to be the sound of Grillby placing his glasses back into their natural place. It made a soft, tinkering sound. 

“I’m sorry about that.” 

“Why? You didn’t kill them.” 

“Still. You seem pretty young to be seeing something like that. And finding your way here is a miracle.” 

“I did what I had to do. Maybe I didn’t make all sorts of good decisions but… I’m here now. And I don’t know what to do from here.” 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, kid. You’ve had a long day. But, I do have to ask… How long have you been out there? Without anyone else?” 

“Not that long. I guess a day at the least.” 

“Where did you get the sword?” 

“I picked it up. I needed something to protect myself.” 

“Well, you’re not getting it back anytime soon. No one’s going to hurt you down here. And having something like that is… Virtually unheard of, here.” 

“So you’re all pacifists here?” 

“Not necessarily. There’s just no need to fight. No one’s trying to kill each other.” 

Buddy paused, rubbing her hands together. Her fingers were starting to chill over despite the bar’s warm atmosphere. 

“It’s really different here. I don’t know how to describe it. But… It’s nice here. Nicer than it ever was up there.” 

“I think it’s kind of ironic. We’re trapped in here, trying to get out, and a human comes here to find safety.” 

“You’re all really trapped down here?” 

“Yup. Magical barrier. No one can get out and anyone can get in.” 

Another long silence filled the air, broken only as Grillby began to fill up two glasses. He slid one over to Sans and took the other glass in his hand. He took a sip and the liquid birthed a spout of steam that sizzled on his lips. 

“Can I have a glass?” 

The two adult monsters glanced at the girl as they drank, exchanging looks. Sans answered for the bartender.

“You can have a sarsaparilla, kiddo.” 

Buddy didn’t protest, not knowing what sarsaparilla was. Grillby opened up a fresh bottle of the stuff, pouring it into a tall glass for the girl. She took it from him with a hushed ‘thank you’ as Grillby answered with a hushed ‘you’re welcome.’

Her first sip of the drink was met with discomfort. Her expression became marred as the taste fizzled in her mouth and through her tongue. It was definitely sweet, she was sure of that, but the flavor was very distinct. One she hadn’t felt used to. 

She continued to drink from her glass as the adults worked on their own glasses. 

“I wanted to ask what happened to your eye.” 

Buddy set her drink a way’s away from herself and glanced over at the skeleton. 

“A creep clawed it open so I had to fish it out. He marked up half of my face too, if you couldn’t tell.” 

Sans downed his drink a little less reluctantly. It went right through him, pouring straight onto the floor. Grillby muttered something about previously cleaning the floors. He sighed heavily before speaking. 

“I don’t like how casual you are about all of this. It’s a little disturbing, you know.” 

Buddy blinked. She didn’t really know what to say. She couldn’t help but talk about these things in the way she did. They were her experiences, after all. 

“I’m not saying it’s your fault. I’m just saying that it’s… All of this. It’s not right for a kid like you. You shouldn’t have had to go through those things.” 

She held onto her glass once again, pressing the cold surface against her palms. 

Grillby made his way over to the jukebox and began playing Easy Living by Billie Holiday. He turned down the volume just a tad and settled himself next to Sans, deciding that overhearing all of this was enough to warrant a bit of time off. 

“It’s all I’ve ever known. Don’t worry about it.” Buddy muttered as she drank her sarsaparilla, getting comfortable with the taste. 

“I’m going to worry about it, kid. You’re a little fugitive here. And I made a promise to protect you.” 

“Who did you promise?” 

“I promised a woman in the Ruins.” 

Buddy choked on the liquid, setting the glass down so she could cough into the fabric of her poncho. Sans looked to her and could tell immediately that the reaction was not coincidental. He reached over into the bar and grabbed the same bottle Grillby had used to fill his glass, refilling it himself. 

“So she’s not coming back, is she?” 

The girl held her head into the poncho, not willing to look up at the skeleton speaking to her. She didn’t know what to tell him. She was certain of the answer, but this seemed all too much to be happening at once. 

“I figured as much.” 

She took a moment to look back up at him, seeing the melancholy encroaching on his expression. It didn’t seem like he was able to stop smiling, despite it all. Her eyes watered and she refused to wipe away their remnants. 

“... I’m sorry.” She said, quietly. “I… I wasn’t thinking straight… I didn’t want to do it… I really didn’t, I swear.” 

“I believe you.” He retorted. He wasn’t sure if it was true, but he wanted to convince himself that it was. The first thought on his mind was what happened when he got home. When he saw Papyrus continuing his usual routine of making spaghetti. 

This all seemed typical for his brother, but Papyrus had prepared a special tupperware container specifically for the girl. As soon as Sans came home, Papyrus had made it a priority to tell his brother all about his new friend. It was the most excited he’d been since the costume party a few weeks prior. 

Sans held this conflict in his heart. He looked at the girl once more and her gaze went right through him. 

“... Don’t hurt anyone else. I’m asking this to you, as a favor to my brother… He’s got high hopes for you. You’re his first friend. Don’t disappoint him. It’s the least you could do while we hide you away here. If anyone else knew a human was walking around here, you’d get sent straight to the capital. I honestly don’t want that. If it were any other human, I don’t think I’d have much of a problem.” 

Buddy rubbed the back of her hand against her eyes. She felt sick. She felt sick and sorry. 

“I won’t hurt anyone. I’m a pacifist… I’m not going to hurt anybody now. You have my word… And… I can’t thank you enough for all of this… It’s more than I’ve ever had.” 

“Don’t mention it…” 

Sans sighed, closing his sockets for a moment. He still wasn’t sure about any of this. It was all new and unexpected to him. He felt like for the first time in a long time, he was unsure of what his options were and where any of the possible routes led. 

“... Are you hungry right now?” 

“I… I guess I am…” 

The skeleton proceeded to nudge the flaming barman. 

“Can you make up a burger and some fries?” 

Grillby may have squinted his eyes, getting up out of his seat and heading into the kitchen at the left. Sans, all the while, adjusted in his damp seat. He didn’t drink from his glass again, lest he continue to ruin the bar floor. Instead he clutched on it in waiting. 

He didn’t know what to think. It was only this morning he had been thinking about how later on today, he would knock on the door and prepare for a series of bad jokes. It would be like how it always was. 

But now no one would ever make jokes with him beyond that door. 

Sans felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned his head, nearly swiveling his whole body, just to see Buddy flinch at his action. She stared at him in silence, then glanced away for a second. 

“... I-” 

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m okay, kid.” 

“... I don’t think you are.” 

“That’s what you think.” 

“... I’m not stupid, you know. I know you’re not just going to brush this off.” 

Sans didn’t say anything else. This isn’t the kind of conversation he wanted to have and so he decided he wouldn’t have it. All he wanted to do now was forget he ever heard any of this bad news. 

Grillby returned from the kitchen and set a plate down. A hot-off-the-grill cheeseburger and a plate of fries. He set it in front of the girl and looked to Sans. 

“... I’ll put it on your tab. Clean up after yourself.” He reached into his pocket and produced a set of keys, plucking off one and setting it before Sans. “I’ll expect this back tomorrow. I’m leaving for the night…. Don’t stay up too late.” 

There was something about his tone that seemed almost apologetic. And without any second thought, he left the two of them alone. 

Sans took the key in his hand and looked over it before shoving it in his pocket. His eyes trailed back to Buddy who was still staring at him. 

He tried to keep his smile convincing, felt that lightening up the mood would be beneficial at a time like this. 

“Don’t let your meal get cold. You’ve probably never had anything like it before, have you?” 

Buddy glanced at the burger as it steamed, as well as the tender fries. Hesitantly, she plucked up one of the smallest fries and took a little bite of it. The heat pricked at her tongue, burning it mildly, but for the most part she didn’t mind. 

The skeleton next to her watched and reached over to grab the bottle of ketchup. He leaned closer and squirted a bit of ketchup onto the empty corner of the plate. Buddy stifled a laugh as it made a sound almost indicative to flatulence. Sans chuckled a little and snapped the cap back on, setting the bottle aside. 

“You should try some of the ketchup with your fries. I think it’s pretty good.” 

The girl did so, dipping her fries in the cool ketchup and eating with utter flippancy. She chewed with her mouth open and continued to stuff herself silly. She was very stingy with the use of her condiments, having eaten most of her plate-full before using all of it. 

Once she got to the burger, she peeled off the bun, examining it. She bit right into the bread before Sans could explain. 

“You’re supposed to eat it together, kid. Like a sandwich.” 

“What’s a sandwich?” She asked, chewing the warm bread as she spoke. 

“Oy vey, kid, you sure are something…” 

He leaned over and showed her how to hold a hamburger. 

“Like this.” 

Buddy stared at the burger and took a measly bite of it, now chewing with her mouth closed so as to not lose her food. Immediately, she was taken with the flavor, scarfing it down as if it were her last. 

The jukebox stopped on it’s fifth song, wherein the record began to skip at the beginning. The bar started to fill with Bob Dylan’s voice repeatedly singing the name ‘Ramona’. Sans got off the bar stool and unplugged the jukebox. 

“It’s been broken for a while. This isn’t the first time it’s done that…” He turned back to Buddy, seeing that she had now gotten off her stool as well. “You ready to head home?” 

She nodded and looked down at the small puddle of alcohol that refused to seep into the wood floors. Sans remembered that he needed to clean that up, grabbing a rag from behind the bar and using it to soak up the liquid. It didn’t seem to leave any mark. He quickly tossed the dirty rag into the sink, stuffing his hands into his pockets. 

“Let’s go. You can head back to bed when we get home… And… Don’t tell Papyrus about this.” 

“I won’t.” She decided that she would keep this a secret, seeing that it was something he didn’t really need to know. 

The two of them proceeded to exit the bar, Sans locking it up after turning off all the lights. They headed out into the cold, most of the lights having been turned off except for the lights of their house. Neither of them spoke. 

Sans opened the door quietly, allowing Buddy to pass through. He turned off the television and made sure his brother was completely covered. 

“Sans.” The girl whispered to him, standing in the hallway just before Papyrus’ room. He looked back at her. 

“... You have a good night.” 

He smiled at her and his smile with authentic. 

“I will. Sleep tight, kiddo. Get a little shut eye.”

She didn’t know what ‘getting shut eye’ meant but she assumed it was synonymous with rest. With that, she headed back to Papyrus’ room and laid down once more. She would rest easier with a full stomach. 

Sans, meanwhile, trudged back into his room. He opened the door, went inside and closed the door, leaning against it. He looked around his room and sighed, walking over to his mattress and shoving off the wrinkled ball of sheets. He grabbed his pillow and plopped onto the bare mattress, closing his eyes and waiting for the sleep to take him in. 

Throughout the entire house, each of them slept into the wee hours of the morning. Or what could be assumed to be morning, underground. 

Papyrus was the first to wake up. 

He began his daily routine of cleaning up his own personal messes, folding the blanket he slept in and setting it inside a cabinet. He then proceeded to barge into his brother’s room and wake him up, making a scene over the same indecencies which laid in Sans’ room. 

It took only an hour for the both of them to settle into a consistent wakeful state, their day just beginning. 

Sans was only starting to step out. 

“I’m going to pick-up some breakfast at Grillby’s. You want anything?” 

“NO, I DON’T.” 

“I should’ve known. Are you gonna wake up the kid?” 

“I WAS JUST ABOUT TO DO THAT. HOPEFULLY SHE WON’T MIND WATCHING METTATON’S SHOW WITH ME! I MEAN…. I DON’T EVEN THINK SHE KNOWS WHAT A TELEVISION IS… HUMANS ARE A LOT MORE STRANGE THAN I FIRST IMAGINED, SANS.” 

“Yeah, but I guess that’ll make us experts, won’t it?” 

“HUMAN EXPERTS? THAT ALMOST SOUNDS AS GREAT AS BEING A ROYAL GUARDSMAN. WITH A LOT LESS ROYAL GUARDING, I’M SURE…” 

“Maybe it’s got good potential. You should always keep your options open, bro.” 

“I’LL KEEP THAT IN MIND, SANS.” 

With that, Sans left, hands in his pockets. He fiddled with the key in his pocket, recalling the events of the night prior. It had taken him quite a long while to fall asleep, but he at least got in a few hours. 

Papyrus, at the same time, knocked upon his own bedroom door before opening it up. He was surprised to see that Buddy was already awake, looking over his collection of books in utter fascination. 

“BUDDY?” 

She looked over to him, seeming well-rested. 

“Morning, Papyrus.” 

“GOOD MORNING. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AWAKE?” 

She shrugged in response. 

“I don’t know. A while?” 

Papyrus took the opportunity to sit next to her, looking at all the books she had pulled out. None of them seemed to be the ones related to puzzle-solving, so he felt slightly disappointed. 

“WERE YOU LOOKING FOR ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR?” 

“I’ve never seen this many books before. I was just reading the titles.” 

“WE COULD GO TO THE LIBRARY LATER ON, IF YOU LIKE. I WAS ALSO THINKING THAT WE COULD FIND ANY MONSTERS WILLING TO DONATE OLD CLOTHES. SINCE… WE DON’T HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF THAT. AND YOU CAN’T WEAR MY OLD PAJAMAS FOREVER.”

“Okay.” She remembered seeing something called a ‘librarby’ when they walked through Snowdin. She had no idea this was an error on the sign’s part and not in fact the correct spelling. 

Papyrus impulsively began to put away the books which Buddy had strewn out. She watched him for a few moments before helping him in this. 

“I WANTED TO ASK YOU IF YOU WERE INTERESTED IN WATCHING METTATON’S SHOW WITH ME.” 

“You mean on the moving screen?” 

“YES. THE TELEVISION.” 

“Sure. How does that thing work anyway?” 

The tall skeleton pondered how to go about explaining this, motioning for her to follow him out of the room. 

“IT’S A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN. THERE ARE WAVES THAT CHANNEL INTO THE SCREEN SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT’S BEING BROADCASTED…” He could tell by her expression that she didn’t understand him at all. “I THINK JUST WATCHING IT WILL BE FINE FOR NOW.” 

They both took a seat on the couch and Papyrus turned on the television. The screen panned into a comfy looking studio featuring a large robot. His voice was clear and whole-heartedly charismatic as he talked about himself. 

Buddy gawked at the screen, not sure of what exactly she was seeing. However, she was quite enamored with the movements the screen had to offer. She knew it was not happening right in front of her, but she could not look away. 

“This is amazing…” She said this under her breath, leaning forward slightly as she crossed her legs. 

“ISN’T IT?” Papyrus focused on her more than the show. He had already seen the episode before and was more keen on seeing what his new friend thought of the show. He was quite happy that she seemed to enjoy it. 

Buddy looked over to Papyrus, seeming somewhat anxious. 

“... Am I just supposed to sit here and look? What happens when you turn it off?” 

“NOTHING HAPPENS, REALLY. IT CONTINUES TO BROADCAST… BUT, THERE’S NO REAL CONSISTENCY WITH SHOWS LIKE THESE. THEY’RE BASED MORE ON CURRENT EVENTS. SO… YOU WON’T MISS ANYTHING IF YOU STOP WATCHING.” 

“Oh… So it’s alright if we stop watching?” 

“OF COURSE. DID YOU WANT TO?” 

“Well… You said we could go places… And… I kind of want to go outside.” She could not explain the feeling. But being able to freely go wherever she wished left her with a compulsive desire to be in constant motion. Sitting in that room for however many minutes she had been made her crave to visit other places. She wanted to see Snowdin for what it was. 

“WE’LL GO OUTSIDE THEN! JUST GET ON YOUR SHOES AND WE’LL HEAD OFF IMMEDIATELY.” He turned off the television. “I’LL SHOW YOU SOME OF THE PLACES WE HAVE HERE… AND WE’LL GET SO MUCH DONE, THE DAY WILL BE OVER BEFORE WE KNOW IT.” 

Buddy gave Papyrus a small smile, getting up from the couch. 

“... You’re really nice to me, Papyrus.” It almost made her feel sad to think about it. He was possibly one of the kindest people she had ever met. He wasn’t even a ‘person’ so to speak. But he had a certain quality about him that made her feel happy for some reason. 

Papyrus just stared at her, smiling as well. 

“WHY WOULDN’T I BE NICE TO YOU? WE’RE FRIENDS. AT LEAST, THAT’S WHAT I THINK.” 

“... I think we’re friends too.” She said this, not feeling sure if it were true or not. She knew he wasn’t bad, that he wouldn’t hurt her. But at the same time, she had never had any friends before him. She didn’t know what the prospect of friendship meant. However, she was willing to find out. 

“I’M SO GLAD YOU FEEL THE SAME!” The tall skeleton stood, filled with a newborn confidence and enthusiasm inspired by his friend. 

“I…” Buddy stared up at him. “I’ll go… Get my shoes.” 

With that, she hurried off to Papyrus’ room to fetch them. 

Sans came home with a closed box full of food, closing the door behind him. 

“I’m home.” He said, before turning to see his brother looking towards him expectantly. 

“WE’RE GOING TO BE GOING PLACES… I’M NOT SURE IF YOU WANT TO COME… BUT, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY FUN IF WE ALL WENT TOGETHER. IT’S BETTER THAN BEING A LAZYBONES ALL DAY.” 

The stout skeleton gawked at his brother, smiling meekly as he set down the container on the table. 

“... I guess I don’t have anywhere special to be today. I could hang out with you guys… We could both work on becoming boneafide human experts.” 

Papyrus groaned. 

“SANS, ARE YOU GOING TO DO THAT ALL DAY?”

“You invited me, bro. I gotta.” 

“NO YOU DON’T ‘GOTTA’!” 

“I do gotta.” 

“SANS…” He whined, “ALRIGHT, YOU CAN MAKE SOME JOKES… BUT DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY. YOU’RE JUST AS MUCH OF AN INFLUENCE AS I AM. 

“You have my word, bro.” 

Buddy watched the both of them talk from a distance. She didn’t interrupt them. She just wanted to hear what they had to say when she wasn’t around for a while. 

She wondered if this is what normal siblings do. 

She clutched onto her poncho and stepped out of the hall to tell them she was ready to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad to be releasing this newest chapter. I really am so happy that so many people have seen what I'm making... And I'm surprised that they actually enjoy it. I hope that I'll be able to keep up because I'm always motivated to continue. This is quickly becoming a project that I've constantly got on my mind. Sharing it with all of you just makes it a little more special.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iagzxe7wJP4


	7. To Capture A Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus introduces Buddy to Undyne.

Two days had passed. 

Buddy had spent these two days under the watchful eyes of Papyrus and Sans. She was able to see things she hadn’t the opportunity of seeing before. Her collection of books was steadily growing as she insisted on looking at any piece of information her eyes could swallow. She was constantly learning new things she hadn’t known before and relished in the fact that there were things she didn’t know of. 

Papyrus had been able to procure some clothes for her, though they resembled quite reliably the thrift store stock. Various mismatched articles that fit if she were lucky. She insisted on wearing her poncho over them, more out of comfort than of embarrassment. 

Sans had not spoken to the girl privately since that night, but had come to see that she really was just a kid. She was serious and well-spoken, but held that same intrigue that all children possess. He knew that he and his brother couldn’t continuously hide her from the Royal Guard. Something had to be done about the barrier. It racked his mind constantly, but whenever it did, he would see his brother. 

Papyrus was enjoying himself more than ever, introducing the girl to new concepts. He was especially happy to see the girl liked his spaghetti, as she made the rave review of, “It isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

It was the proudest Sans had ever seen his brother.

It was on the third day, however, that Papyrus woke up Buddy for a very important reason. 

She was perfectly asleep, her eyes opening slowly and unhappily from their slumber. She had grown used to the sight of his skeletal complexion by this time, though it was quite jarring for it to be the first thing she saw in the morning. 

“I kind of wanna sleep for a little more…” She muttered, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 

“IT’S BEEN EXACTLY EIGHT HOURS, BUDDY! I MADE SURE OF IT! HUMANS NEED EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP, THAT’S WHAT YOU SAID!” 

“Maybe it should be nine.” She made this remark before looking up to the tall skeleton, “Everything alright?” 

“OF COURSE! ER… WELL, THERE WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO SHOW YOU. I WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO UNDYNE.” 

Buddy fell silent. She had heard very little about Undyne. It was mostly small tidbits from Papyrus relating to his ‘special cooking lessons’. But she has also heard that Undyne was a powerful hero, whom many monsters looked up to for her strength. The leader of the Royal Guard.

“Are you sure about this? Sans… He said that I shouldn’t talk to the Royal Guard.” 

“HE DID? BUT, THIS ISN’T THE ENTIRE ROYAL GUARD, IT’S JUST UNDYNE. SHE MAY SEEM A LITTLE BRASH, BUT SHE’S RATHER NICE ONCE YOU GET TO KNOW HER. I’M ALMOST CERTAIN THAT THE TWO OF YOU WILL BECOME GREAT FRIENDS.” 

“I don’t know about this, Papyrus.” 

The skeleton scoffed and crossed his arms. 

“WELL… I SUPPOSE I WILL JUST GO SEE UNDYNE. ALONE. AND WE WILL HAVE SO MUCH FUN MAKING SPAGHETTI.” 

“Is that really all you two do?” 

“NO. BUT, DO YOU WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT ELSE WE DO?”

Buddy mulled this over. It didn’t seem like it was a good idea, despite no one else really recognizing her as human. 

“... She won’t hurt me, will she?” 

“SHE WOULDN’T HURT YOU! SHE DOESN’T HURT ANYONE UNLESS THEY’RE BEING OVERTLY TERRIBLE… AND THAT’S A RARITY TO SEE. YOU’LL BE FINE, BUDDY. I’LL BE WITH YOU.” 

There was some reassurance in his words. A comforting variable that lay in her trust for him. It was the first time she trusted anyone that she didn’t know from birth. Even then, the memories she held there seemed all too real for her to think about. As much as she was starting to care for Papyrus, she wondered if it was in vain. What he was proposing to her seemed dangerous and left her feeling grim. She clutched on the blanket.

“... I’ll get dressed then. Wait outside for me.” 

Papyrus gave a nod, beaming as brightly as ever as he left his room, which had temporarily become Buddy’s room. She even borrowed his closet space. 

As soon as he left, she dressed herself, wearing the only shoes she had and the poncho she couldn’t part with. As awful and scratchy as it was, it felt like getting rid of a memory. Even if the memory wasn’t always pleasant, Buddy decided keeping it was now her duty. 

She made her way out of the house, instantly meeting with Papyrus. 

“ARE YOU READY? BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO HEAD TO WATERFALL NOW.” 

“Waterfall’s the next town over, isn’t it?” 

“YES! I THINK YOU’LL LIKE IT THERE.” 

“It’s where all the water comes from… We didn’t really have clean water on the surface. So, I guess that’s kind of nice that it’s not all messed up.” 

Papyrus began to lead Buddy over into the haze that preceded Waterfall. He insisted on noting that this particular haze came from the caverns themselves and filtered outside into Snowdin. 

It did not take long for the both of them to reach the entrance where two individuals lay. A small yellow monster was overlooking the rushing waters while another monster situated himself beside an echo flower. 

A stand was placed at this entrance, however, it was unoccupied. Papyrus seemed particularly annoyed at this, but continued on anyway. 

There lay a large series of waterfalls which came down from some undisclosed part of the mountain. Mist filled the air and exited out in haste. A bridge ran through the path, making it safe to cross. Buddy did not dare to step through the water, holding onto Papyrus’ gloved hand. 

He turned back slightly to look at her and gripped onto her hand a little more tightly, just to reassure her that she was safe. 

The water poured deeply into caverns that bounced off darker rays and jet blues. Buddy refused to stare at it for long. 

The both of them stepped into new territory, the water stagnant and the ground tough. Long grass grew just beyond a diverging path. They wordlessly crossed another bridge and to the other side, which held dark stalagmites and shadowy corners. 

A huge individual stood there, shining faintly silver. They wore full armor as a long parting of hair jutted from their helmet. 

“UNDYNE?” 

They turned, looking over the skeleton and immediately, to the human beside him. Their movements did not seem hindered, so much as paused. They did not speak. 

“UNDYNE… IT’D BE NICE IF WE COULD JUST TALK RIGHT NOW. I CONSIDER YOU MY FRIEND AND… I THOUGHT IT NECESSARY TO CONSULT YOU IN THIS.” He released Buddy’s hand, gesturing towards her. “THIS IS BUDDY. SHE’S ALSO MY FRIEND… AND A… A HUMAN. SHE ISN’T HERE TO HURT ANYONE, SO… WE DON’T HAVE TO TAKE HER INTO THE CAPITAL.” 

“Papyrus,” Undyne spoke out, her voice unsympathetic and authoritative. “We do have to take her to the capital.” 

“BUT SHE’S… SHE DOESN’T HAVE ANYONE ELSE. SHE’S GOT NO ONE BUT MYSELF AND SANS RIGHT NOW.” 

“I saw the dust, Papyrus. Alphys told me everything she saw. A human with a big sword covered in dust.” The way this was worded gave forth an image of grit. Buddy stood behind Papyrus now, peering at the armored woman, eyes reflecting fear.

Papyrus couldn’t deny this. He wouldn’t touch the subject before, but he did feel uneasy thinking about it in retrospect. Still, seeing Buddy as she was now, he could not give up on her. She trusted him and he refused to break that trust. 

“... UNDYNE, I DON’T KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED. AND… AND SHE CAN SPEAK FOR HERSELF… WE ONLY NEED TO TALK.” 

“Papyrus, she’s brainwashed you! That’s what humans can do! She’s tricking you into protecting her! They manipulate our minds and our hearts until we’re nothing but ash!” Undyne stepped forward, conjuring up a spear made entirely of bright blue magic. It pulsed as it’s shaft met the soft dirt. 

Buddy stood before Papyrus and held up her hands. Her hands trembled for a moment as she recalled the last time she tried to protect someone. The last time she allowed herself to stand unguarded. She tried to find the courage to stare Undyne in the eyes. 

“I… I haven’t manipulated him. He’s just… He’s just… He’s trying to protect me! We really just want to talk. I… He said you wouldn’t hurt me… He doesn’t seem like a liar… Do… Do you want to make him one?” 

Undyne hesitated, the grip on her spear tensing up ever so slightly. She held it up, aiming it at the girl. 

“Don’t talk to me like that. Like anything you say- like your life really matters to me. I don’t know you. And I’m as far distanced from you as I can be. Your soul has the chance to save all of us… One perishes for the many!” With that, Undyne threw off her helmet, allowing it to loudly crack against a far-off stalagmite. 

Her eyes flickered a bright yellow as her gills shuddered. Large, impressive teeth gnashed stubbornly with a scowl. 

“I have to take you in so that we can all see the surface.” 

“The surface isn’t worth seeing!” Buddy shouted, her anger chilling her bones into the words she formed, reducing them to childish warbling. The armor-clad woman seemed to snap at this, rushing forth wildly. 

“You’re a liar!” Undyne hollered, slashing her spear downward, just as Papyrus grabbed hold of the girl, making for the bridge. 

He sprinted out towards the tall grass as fast as he could, setting her down and quickly taking the time to whisper to her. 

“YOU HAVE TO RUN NOW. THERE’S A PATH GOING THROUGH AND YOU NEED TO FOLLOW IT. I’M GOING TO REASON WITH HER AND… AND I’LL GET YOU ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER.” 

“I can’t let you just do this! I… I can’t just run away! What if she kills you?” 

“SHE’S NOT GOING TO. EVERYTHING’S GOING TO TURN OUT OKAY. YOU JUST NEED TO-” 

Before he could finish his sentence, Undyne barreled through, her spear diving down and nearly missing the girl. The sharp, fantastic spearhead made contact with her side, splitting skin before ultimately crashing into the earth below. 

Blood splattered lightly onto stalks of grass, drooling against previous moisture and reflecting little color. Buddy gripped harshly onto her side, not breathing for a moment. Her eyes were wide and meeting Undyne’s unforgiving gaze allowed her to let go of all previous loyalties. 

She ran fast and she ran far, huffing as her poncho poorly clotted her wound and her legs carried her as quickly as the adrenaline could allow. 

Undyne ripped her spear from the dirt, conjuring a second one as she aimed for the girl. Her eyes squinted before something thwacked the back of her head. She paused and turned back, only to be greeted by another bone-thwacking to the face, causing her to topple onto the ground. 

Her spears disappeared along with her concentration as she held her head in her hands. 

“Papyrus!” She yowled, glaring up at him, breathing hard more from excitement than of exertion. “What the hell was that about??” 

“UNDYNE YOU HAVEN’T BEEN TAKING ME SERIOUSLY!! YOU!... YOU… YOU HURT MY FRIEND! AND… YOU HURT ME! DOESN’T THAT MATTER TO YOU AT ALL? I TRUSTED YOU! AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO!” 

“She’s a human, Papyrus. It doesn’t matter how we feel about them, we need that last soul! That’s how we’re going to get to the surface! It’s what everyone needs! I thought you understood that” Truthfully, under all of her pride and her drive towards that singular goal, this was the first time she had felt like a genuine badass. She wanted to embrace this feeling, stretch it out as long as she could. 

“THE… THE SURFACE… I DON’T THINK IT’S INITIALLY WHAT WE THOUGHT IT OUT TO BE…” Papyrus held out a hand to his friend, pulling her up as soon as she took it. “YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND… SHE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH… SHE CAME DOWN HERE BECAUSE THERE WASN’T ANYONE ELSE LEFT OUT THERE. SHE WAS ALL ALONE AND SHE FOUND US.” 

Undyne gave Papyrus a glare, studying his skeletal expression and finding his honesty very apparent. She didn’t like what she was hearing. It denoted grim things that she refused to accept. 

“That seems lucky for us. If she was all alone, then no one would have missed her.” She turned about halfway before shooting another glare towards Papyrus, “If you had captured her, we could have seen the surface for ourselves and we would’ve known if it had been worth it or not…. Maybe you could have joined the Royal Guard.” 

The skeleton perked up at the very familiar, usually coveted set of words. He did not do so for long, expressing a forlorn attitude. 

“I’M NOT INTERESTED IN JOINING THE ROYAL GUARD ANYMORE.” 

“What?” The genuine surprise escaped Undyne’s lips. “But… That’s everything you’ve ever wanted, isn’t it? That’s… That’s why we have our cooking lessons and why you hang out at my place so often…”

She had to admit that she really did appreciate Papyrus’ company. He was a good person in her eyes. A part of her felt badly about not letting him into the Royal Guard, but it was his nature that really proved it. He was too nice. He befriended a renegade human. 

“IT WAS… I REALLY DID WANT TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD BUT… NOT IF IT’S ALL ABOUT HURTING HUMANS. BUDDY IS MY FRIEND. AND… I THINK OF YOU AS MY FRIEND TOO, UNDYNE. I THOUGHT YOU BOTH COULD GET ALONG.” 

“Papyrus… It’s just not that easy… And… You really feel this strongly about one human?” 

“SHE’S BEEN LIVING WITH SANS AND I THESE PAST FEW DAYS. SHE’S A KID, UNDYNE… THOUGH, SHE MAY ACT VERY MATURE FOR HER AGE, SHE’S JUST A KID UNDER IT ALL. SHE JUST NEEDS SOMEONE TO BE KIND TO HER AND GIVE HER THE TIME TO OPEN UP… SHE’S A LOT LIKE YOU.” 

Undyne gave this a thought. The one thing that had been bothering her this entire time was now nullifying slowly before her eyes. She had to come clean before it all meant nothing, or she wouldn’t forgive herself. 

“... I wasn’t going to let you join the Royal Guard anyway.” 

“WHAT?” 

“How could I, Papyrus? How could I let you join when you- you do things like this! You’re too nice and… and you just, befriended a human! You kept her in your house. You probably took care of her like you would any other guest! That isn’t Royal Guard material!” 

“IT’S GOOD THAT I DON’T WANT TO BE ONE ANYWAY! AT… AT LEAST I’M COMPASSIONATE!” 

“Don’t get mad at me over this, Papyrus. I’m just telling you… I… I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while now… Because it’s been this way even before the human came.” 

Papyrus balled up his gloved hands, having no trouble focusing on Undyne. He didn’t know what else he could say to her, regarding the matter. 

“... I’m sorry, Papyrus… I didn’t want to tell you. But… I guess it’s a necessary evil…” 

He said nothing in response, turning away slightly. He was thinking. Undyne interpreted this as him being truly hurt, stepping forward and resting a hand on his shoulder pad. 

“Papyrus?” 

He turned towards her once again, looking more serious than he’s ever looked. 

“... I KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE THIS HUMAN. BUT YOU OWE ME NOW. I WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD IF YOU HAD TOLD ME SOONER… I’M NOT AN IDIOT, YOU KNOW… I JUST FIGURED THAT… MAYBE YOU WANTED TO BE FRIENDS AND THAT’S WHY YOU STARTED COOKING WITH ME. I DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING UNDERHANDED ABOUT IT. I THOUGHT YOU WERE LONELY.” 

A tense silence filled a gap between the two. Undyne sighed heavily, smoothing back her ponytail. 

“You… really care about this one kid, don’t you?” 

“I DO.” He gave her a punch in the shoulder, the armor causing his bones to rattle. He did not expect this to happen and tried to calm down all of his bones at once. 

“And you want me to help you find this kid before something out in Waterfall gobbles her up?” 

“AS IF THERE’S ANYTHING DANGEROUS IN WATERFALL BESIDES YOU.” He remarked with a lighthearted smile, starting to walk down the dirt path. 

Undyne gave a low laugh, feeling a little more concerned than she had been previously. The blood on the grass stared at her before she proceeded forth. She didn’t know if Papyrus noticed this in the darkness of the caverns, nor if he could discern the properties of blood. She knew that humans couldn’t last long without it. She knew he wouldn’t forgive her if this human fell. 

“... Why did you think we’d get along?” She asked this hesitantly, heavily stomping through the terrain after the skeleton. The armor did not hold her back, however. 

“FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. LIKE... SHE DOESN’T HAVE AN EYE, JUST LIKE YOU.” 

“What?” 

“YOUR EYEPATCH.” 

Undyne stopped and flipped over, revealing that she did in fact, possess a second eye. Papyrus gasped dramatically at this grand reveal. 

“Papyrus, I have my eye… I just wear this because… It’s cool. It fits the archetype…. Are you telling me this human really lost their eye??” She could not hide the excitement in her voice. She flipped her eyepatch back onto her eye, finding the world to be quite blurry without it. 

“YES. SHE SAID IT WAS VERY PAINFUL AND THAT SHE CRIED… I THOUGHT YOU ACTUALLY DIDN’T HAVE AN EYE…” 

“That was sort of the point in wearing it. But don’t tell anyone else about this, or I’ll throw your nerdy butt in the hoosegow.” 

“DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A ‘HOOSEGOW’ IS?” 

“Do you??” 

“NO. BUT I KNOW YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO THROW ME INTO ONE.” 

The both of them passed over the line of bridge seeds that had been already set. It seemed that Buddy had already solved this puzzle. Papyrus felt slightly proud that she had solved these puzzles all by herself, but did not dwell on this for long, keeping up with his friend.

“But… Seriously, Papyrus. What made you think I’d get along with a human?” 

“SHE’S… PASSIONATE ABOUT THINGS. JUST LIKE YOU. SHE’S LIVELY WHEN SHE WANTS TO BE. AND SHE STILL HAS A LOT TO LEARN.” 

Undyne reflected on this, as she and Papyrus stepped through a quiet hall. Echo flowers lined up the long room, branching into adjacent corridors which had already been open. She never thought about how she appeared to others until now. She didn’t think about that perception until she heard it for herself. 

“... I think we should pick up the pace then. I don’t want her seeing me as some awful jerk.” This almost gave her reason to chuckle. She already knew that things wouldn’t go well. She hoped with all her might that the kid wouldn't be dead from bleeding out by the time they found her.

The same marsh rested peacefully. Reeds and water sausages staying very still among cold waters. Rock walls were lined with signs- tapestries of events from a bygone era. The wooden platforms held their own against Undyne’s armor, even as it creaked.

Papyrus looked out from the end of the dock and eyed a small platform. He turned back to Undyne, who huffed and hopped into the marsh, disrupting it’s peace. She waded through the waters and pushed through. The skeleton reluctantly followed, needing assistance to exit the murky waters once they reached the other side.

Undyne nearly yanked off his arm in the process, but by the time they both made it there, they could tell they were no closer towards the girl.

“How far do you think she is?”

“PROBABLY HALFWAY TO HOTLAND BY NOW. SHE WAS PRETTY WEAK A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT SHE SEEMED TO BE GETTING BETTER. I TRIED TO GET HER INTO SOME MORNING JOGGING, BUT SHE WAS USUALLY TOO TIRED TO DO SO.” He continued his tangent. “I THINK SANS HAS BEEN INFLUENCING HER WITH THIS EIGHT HOUR NAP BUSINESS.”

“You mean sleeping?”

The skeleton seemed almost offended by this. Undyne rolled her eyes and the two continued down the wooden path. The caverns sparkled and more natural structures of time laid in the background. It was quiet now, unnecessarily so, aside from an amalgam of fluid noises. 

“UNDYNE?” 

“Huh?” She turned her head towards him. 

“WHEN YOU SAID… ALPHYS TOLD YOU EVERYTHING SHE SAW… WHAT DID YOU MEAN?” 

“Alphys came to me a few days ago, saying that through one of her cameras, she saw a lone human come out of the Ruins door. That human had a big sword like in Alphys’ human history books and they were covered in dust… We played it by ear, and since you didn’t report anything to me, and no one’s fallen down, I thought maybe it was a false alarm…” 

This almost made Papyrus break out in a sweat, somehow. He felt worried that something bad could actually happen to Buddy. This place had always seemed so peaceful to him until now. 

“WHAT ABOUT WATERFALL? YOU DIDN’T SET TRAPS OR ANYTHING, DID YOU?” 

“I told you, I thought it was a false alarm. There’s only one real thing we have to worry about now.” 

“WHAT’S THAT?” 

“Asgore knows… Or, at least, he knows that there’s a chance a human’s fallen down here…” 

“BUT KING ASGORE WOULDN’T HURT HER! AT LEAST… I DON’T THINK HE WOULD… YOU KNOW HIM BETTER THAN I DO…” 

“... He really wants to give hope to all of us monsters. Even if he is very passive about what he does, he’s very dedicated to us. I respect him for that. I respect him for his kindness. But… If she were to meet up with him, I don’t think he’d hesitate for long.” 

The two approached the glowing swamp. Across the way, a bird waited to take travelers across. Undyne gestured for Papyrus to follow her. 

“We’ll cut her off past my place.” 

“WAIT A MINUTE, UNDYNE. THERE’S ONE MORE THING I NEED TO ASK YOU.” 

“What is it?” 

“... WAS IT RIGHT TO TAKE THESE SOULS IN THE FIRST PLACE? IS THIS REALLY ALL THE ROYAL GUARD WAS MEANT FOR? AND... DID WE REALLY KILL SIX HUMANS JUST TO GET TO THE SURFACE? WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S UP THERE NOW... BUT IT'S NOT GOOD... SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A SHOWER WAS, UNDYNE. SHE WAS DRINKING ALCOHOL AND CARRYING AROUND BIG, HUGE SWORDS... IS IT ALL EVEN WORTH IT NOW? DO WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S UP THERE?” 

She faced him once again, unsure of how to say what she wanted to say. 

"... I don't know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is relatively shorter than the other ones, but for good reason. There's going to be a gradual build up in the on-coming chapters. A little change in perspective. 
> 
> Also, in case anyone had any doubts about it, I am very open to answering questions. Sometimes, I won't be able to answer some things, as they will spoil the story. But, for the most part, you can ask me relatively anything when it comes to details of Buddytale. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OaNh69u1mQ


	8. We Had A Good Run ( More or Less )

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology to those who enjoyed the works
> 
> I humbly thank you for your support, encouragement and dedication.

**This is not a chapter**

I am very sorry to say that, this is my tactless attempt at updating people on the situation. If you weren't aware already, this fanfic is being discontinued. 

If you want to know more, refer to this link: 

http://humanpolitician.tumblr.com/post/145128324343/concerning-buddytale

I hope that none of you are really or truly disappointed. And I hope that in some way, reading this made you happy. If you wanted, I even wrote down a sort of, chickenscratch, about what would have been had circumstances no risen against me. ( http://humanpolitician.tumblr.com/post/145181306688/for-anyone-interested-in-where-buddytale-was )

I'll probably write more on this account, but, I can guarantee it probably won't be anyone's cup of tea aside from my own ( unless you like stories about mysteries, in-depth character analysis, anime girls and whatever else seems to plague my mind day-in and day-out ). 

With that, I guess this is the final fare the well for this thing. Putting the dog down, so to speak. 

Thank you all, once again, for every comment you've ever left. It's been a good first trial for me, personally. And I hope that my next project will make people just as happy. 

Best wishes, 

Whimper-sama

**Author's Note:**

> THIS FANFIC HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED
> 
> THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRONAGE
> 
> BLESS YOUR HEARTS FOR ALL YOUR KUDOS, SUPPORT, COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS ALIKE
> 
> HAVE A NICE DAY


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